A memorial for a bicyclist struck and killed by a stolen van in Northeast D.C. last month was damaged in a crash early Saturday morning.
A speeding Chevy Tahoe crashed into a parked Nissan Pathfinder, a parking sign pole and the ghost bike for David Salovesh, police said.
The driver of the Tahoe ran from the scene, police said.
Police contacted the owner of the Tahoe, who said he doesn’t know who was driving it, police said. It’s not clear if the Tahoe was stolen.
Police have not identified a suspect.
“The one person that we want to tell about this is Dave, you know,” said Salovesh's friend, Matthew Sampson. “It makes me feel so angry; it makes me feel — I was sad for a month because I lost my friend.”
The ghost bike, painted white, was placed near the crash scene were Salovesh died. Friends and the cycling community say Salovesh was an outspoken advocate for bike safety.
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Salovesh spoke to News4 in 2016 about biking in Washington, saying that a better understanding is needed between cyclists and drivers.
“We should be out there, shutting down the streets; we should be out there, you know like, that’s what Dave would want,” Sampson said. “That’s how we can honor Dave.”
Salovesh was following the flow of traffic on Florida Avenue NE at Benning Road April 19 when the stolen van's driver sped through a red light and struck him, police said. Salovesh died at the scene. He was 54.
The driver of the van, Robert Earl Little Jr., was arrested and charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle and second-degree murder, police said.
There has been a spike in traffic fatalities in D.C. recently: 2018 was the deadliest year since 2011.
