A 911 call led police investigators to an SUV suspected of hitting and killing a University of Denver student — and to the driver who was allegedly behind the wheel, police said Tuesday.
Andrew Simpson, 45, was arrested Monday night after police received a tip about a Jeep Cherokee with front-end damage, said Denver police Sgt. Michael Farr. Simpson was being held at the Denver jail on suspicion of vehicular homicide and failing to report a fatal accident, Farr said.
On Thursday, University of Denver graduate student as he walked his bike across the street near the DU campus. Police have said the SUV that hit him ran a red light.
About 9 p.m. Monday, Aurora police received a 911 tip about a Jeep at 1641 Hanover St., Farr said. Denver detectives found that the Jeep had damage consistent with a vehicle that hit a person, Farr said.
Dozens of people witnessed the collision and its aftermath as the driver sped off with the bicycle caught in the SUV’s grille.
Police found the bicycle the next morning near South Colorado Boulevard and East Amherst Avenue.
While detectives looked over the Jeep on Monday night, Simpson was connected to the vehicle and identified as the driver, Farr said.
Simpson does not own the Jeep.
Police have talked with dozens of witnesses, including some who “may have been with the driver or talked to him afterward,” Farr said.
Simpson was described as being cooperative since his arrest. He has an arrest record dating to 1993, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, for counts ranging from traffic violations to drug possession.
