A woman died after being struck by an SUV near Dupont Circle early Thursday morning, and police may have a cyclist to thank for helping find the driver, who fled the scene.
Police said Kiela Marie Ryan was getting out of a Mercedes at about 1:30 a.m. in the 1300 block of Connecticut Avenue near N Street when she was struck by the SUV. The driver did not stop.
Ryan, who had been celebrating her 24th birthday, was taken to a hospital in grave condition. She later died.
Investigators said a cyclist witnessed the incident and actually followed the SUV for five or six blocks and was eventually able to get a tag number and called it in to police.
Officers put out a lookout for the vehicle, which was eventually found outside a high-rise apartment building in the 4600 block of North Park Avenue in Chevy Chase, Md. Montgomery County police found Jorida Davidson, 30, in the driver's seat of a Lexus SUV with the engine off and the keys missing and took her into custody with probable cause to charge her with driving under the influence. Police said she refused to take a sobriety test.
Davidson has not been charged in connection with the hit-and-run. She was released into the custody of a "sober adult" and allowed to go home.
The ramp from northbound Connecticut Avenue to Dupont Circle was closed while police investigated. It reopened at about 8:40 a.m.
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