Crime and Courts

‘Touched a Lot of Lives': Popular Bartender Killed in Hit-and-Run

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A popular bartender died when his car broke down on the way home from work and a hit-and-run driver struck him.

Rhyes Harris, 30, was heading home to Fort Washington after a shift at Bluejacket in the Navy Yard section of D.C. when his car stalled on I-295 South before the 1B and 1C exits. He pulled over to the left shoulder and called for a tow truck.

Another vehicle struck him as he stood outside the passenger side of his car with his hazard lights flashing.

“When the person hit my child at 3 o’clock in the morning, it was probably an accident,” his mother said. “When he drove off, it was something else.”

Harris was the youngest of nine siblings and had big plans for his life. He had been the lead bartender at the first Arlington Pride festival in Rosslyn last year and was planning to work on a cruise ship in Alaska.

“Charming, he’s funny,” his sister said. “I just want to make sure people understand that he touched a lot of lives, and we were very proud of him.”

His family called him a showman who made an impression everywhere he went.

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“It was just not right,” his wife said. “It shouldn’t have happened. It was senseless.”

Bluejacket released a statement saying Harris was loved and respected and his loss is being felt deeply by coworkers and friends.

Police said he may have been hit by a 1999 to 2003 Ford Windstar minivan of unknown color that may be missing a driver’s side headlight and have a broken windshield.

“Right now, there’s no room for anger,” his mother said. “I just beg whoever did this to come forward and take responsibility for leaving my child on the side of the road.”

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