Hit And Run Suspect Sought

Thursday, May 10th 2007, 10:30 am

By: News On 6

A father of two is in intensive care Thursday evening after being the victim of a hit and run. He has a broken arm, broken leg, crushed pelvis and many fractures in his face. He's already had two surgeries and will need more. News On 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright reports police have very little to go on, so his family came to us for help.

Ashley Manley describes finding her friend, Lamarris Rice moments after he was hit by a van, right in front of her home. He was there Friday night around 11 to pick up his dog. He had just loaded it into his car that was parked on Fourth Place, a block east of Sheridan.

"Not even a minute later, I heard a big ole boom and screeching tires,â€ said Manley. â€œI ran outside and he was laying on the ground."

Manley's husband called police, but the van that hit Rice was long gone. The police report says there weren't even any skid marks, the driver never touched the brakes, just kept going. Another neighbor only managed to get a glimpse of a brown van, maybe a Chevy, very little for investigators to go on.

"You just don't hit somebody and take off. It's heartless,â€ said Riceâ€™s aunt Wilma Hart. â€œIt might've been his fault, we don't know, but they did not have to hit him and take off with him laying in the street, like he's, you wouldn't leave a dog laying there, you just don't do that."

Rice is 29, married and has a two-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter. His injuries are devastating. He can't work, and he'll be swamped with medical bills. Everything changed in the blink of an eye, and someone out there knows who's responsible.

"Hopefully, somebody comes forward if they know anything," Manley said.

The brown van likely has damage to the front and right side because police did find some debris in the street. Neighbors say Fourth Place is well lit and Rice was wearing a white shirt, but drivers tend to speed through there.

Anyone with information is urged to call Crimestoppers at 596-COPS. They could earn a $1,000 reward.