A confrontation between two drivers ended in a deadly hit-and-run earlier this month.
Officers with the Sparks Police Department responded around 5:26 p.m. on April 5 to the area of Vista Boulevard and Salomon Circle for a report of a car hitting a man and leaving the scene.
When officers arrived, they learned the driver had already left. The man, later identified as 46-year-old Joshua Hendricks, was taken to Renown Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, including a traumatic brain injury, skull fracture, internal bleeding, multiple rib fractures, and a punctured lung. He underwent emergency surgery and was listed in critical condition before later dying from his injuries.
Witnesses described the car as a white four-door sedan heading north on Vista Boulevard. Officers later that evening located the car in a business parking lot in the 2800 block of Vista Boulevard and conducted a traffic stop.
Police identified the driver as 19-year-old Jeffrey Abrams. According to officers, Abrams admitted he struck a man and then left the scene.
Investigators said the incident began as a road rage situation on the off-ramp to Vista Boulevard from Interstate 80. The confrontation continued near Brierley Way, where Hendricks and a passenger got out of their car and approached Abrams’ car.
Police said Abrams drove into a left turn lane and struck Hendricks, carrying him on the hood into the intersection. Hendricks then fell from the car and hit the ground.
Abrams was arrested April 27 on charges including duty to stop at the scene of a crash involving death or personal injury, duty to give information and render aid, and driving without a valid license. The case remains under investigation.
