Alleged Fatal Hit & Run Driver Found Naked In Lake: 'I Ask For Forgiveness'
DENVER (CBS4) - Police in Denver have arrested a man they believe is responsible for a deadly hit-and-run crash.
It happened Monday night and involved four vehicles. An adult female was killed in the crash in the southbound lanes of Colorado Boulevard and Interstate 70 at approximately 6:40 p.m. Monday.
The suspect was later found naked, swimming in a lake at City Park.
Tyler White told CBS4's Jennifer Brice from jail that he just moved here from Tennessee to get a fresh start. White is now being held for the investigation of vehicular homicide, driving under the influence and leaving the scene of an accident. White says he has been staying with friends. He says he was driving downtown to check out the city when the crash happened.
"I killed somebody and I ask for forgiveness," he told CBS4.
White admits he was speeding when the cars crashed on Colorado Boulevard. A woman driving a Prius was killed.
Police say the speed limit on that road is 35 mph.
"I was going 90 miles an hour," White said.
Brice asked the suspect why he was driving 90 mph.
"Being stupid," said White.
White says he smoked pot a few hours earlier, but did not feel high.
"I wasn't high at the time when I was driving," said White. "It was already out of my system; it wasn't like I was stoned driving."
Police say toxicology reports and downloadable crash data from White's Dodge Charger car will now be part of their investigation.
Detectives are trying to figure out how White got to the lake in City Park where he was found. Denver police spokesman Lt. Rob Rock said they believe he walked away from the crash scene on foot but it's also possible he was picked up by another driver.
"If anyone did pick this guy up by mistake and thought they were helping somebody and didn't realize what he was involved in (a crime), we would appreciate them getting in touch with us," Rock said.
White says he remembers the crash, even waking up but says he thought he was dead. Brice asks, "Do you remember how you got there (City Park) or why you didn't have your clothes on?"
"I really don't know," says White. He added, "something just took over me, told me to go there."
White says he never mean to kill anybody. "I just hope that the family forgives me and I'm sorry about this," says White.
Police thanked firefighters on the scene of the crash. They heard a medical call coming in about a person in the lake at the park and alerted detectives that it could be their suspect.
Jennifer Brice is a reporter with CBS4 focusing on crime and courts. Follow her on Facebook or on Twitter @CBS4Jenn.
