By F. Scott Faulkner
SANTA MARIA, CA — April 27, 2025
A San Luis Obispo man, was arrested on April 24 after allegedly striking a pedestrian and fleeing the scene.
Ricardo Martinez Alfaro, 41, was tracked down thanks to a dashboard camera.
The incident happened just after 9 a.m. at a northbound Santa Maria on-ramp to Highway 101.
According to Santa Maria Police Department spokesman Sgt. Shane Armstrong, “patrol units
responded to the scene following a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle.”
Officers arrived to find the pedestrian suffering from major injuries. The victim was rushed to
Marian Regional Medical Center for treatment.
The hit-and-run might have gone cold, if not for a motorist whose dash cam captured the crash in
real time.
“The collision was witnessed and captured on a vehicle dash camera, which assisted officers in
identifying the suspect vehicle,” Armstrong said.
Roughly 12 hours after the collision, patrol units located the suspect vehicle on a downtown
Santa Maria thoroughfare.
Officers promptly contacted Alfaro and placed him under arrest.
Alfaro was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on suspicion of felony
hit-and-run causing injury.
