SAIPAN — A 31-year-old woman was killed early Saturday when she and another pedestrian were struck by a vehicle along Chalan Pale Arnold Road near the Commonwealth Health Care Corporation, and the driver was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, the CNMI Department of Public Safety said.
DPS 911 dispatch received a call reporting the auto-pedestrian crash at about 3:41 a.m. Responding officers found a man and a woman lying in the southbound lane in front of Paradise Hotel. The woman was unresponsive and had sustained significant injuries.
She was transported to CHCC by the Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, where she was pronounced dead at about 3:58 a.m. by the attending physician. DPS did not release her name.
The man at the scene, identified as 24-year-old Delvin Rios, was transported to CHCC for medical evaluation. Preliminary information provided to officers indicated that Rios and the woman had been walking together when they were struck by a vehicle that left the area.
During the investigation, officers located a white Toyota Tacoma north of Paradise Hotel that had entered a grassy area and struck a fence, and a silver Nissan Altima near the CHCC entrance. Officers later determined that Rios was the driver of the Toyota Tacoma.
Following his discharge from CHCC, officers detected signs of intoxication and processed Rios for reckless driving and driving under the influence. He was arrested and transported to the Department of Corrections for detention.
The Traffic Investigation Unit responded to the scene and processed the crash scene and the vehicles involved.
DPS said no further information will be released at this time as the investigation remains ongoing.
