PD: Man caught trying to trade in car that killed bicyclist
PHOENIX – When a police officer rang Roy Monroe's door bell early Saturday morning, he knew something wasn't right.
The detective told Monroe he was investigating an accident involving Monroe's roommate, Chuck Waldrop, 52, who often rode his bicycle home from work as a Safeway security guard.
"I asked if he was OK," Monroe remembered, "he said, 'no.'"
"I asked him was he gonna be OK," Monroe added.
"He said, 'no', and that's when I asked if he passed away, and he said, 'yeah.'"
Waldrop had been struck by a hit and run vehicle several miles from his home near Interstate 17 and Bethany Home Road.
More: Hit-and-run driver kills Phoenix bicyclist; remains at large
"A lot of times he would have to ride his bicycle home from work, way up there on Tatum and Cave Creek Rd … because the bus stops running."
Monroe said Waldrop was very safety conscious and even encouraged Monroe to buy lights for his bicycle.
According to court paperwork, "Witnesses … observed a BMW which passed them southbound at a high rate of speed, which they estimated to be 80 miles per hour."
"The car was swerving from curb to curb in the southbound lanes … they observed the car collide with something which 'exploded' ahead of them. They did not realize it was a person until they came upon the collision scene."
"The (sic) never saw brake lights and said the car continued southbound."
On Sunday, Phoenix police arrested the person who they say was responsible for the crash.
They booked Timothy Kissida, 23, on charges of leaving the scene of a fatal accident and tampering with physical evidence.
Saturday, after the collision, police said Kissida traded in his light blue, 1992 BMW 325I to Peoria's Power Chevrolet, a local auto dealership, as part of the "Cash for Clunkers" program after obtaining an estimate on the damages.
According to court paperwork, Kissida said the damage to the vehicle occurred when he hit a javelina.
Detectives were able to seize the vehicle and following a series of search warrants, tie Kissida to the crime, according to police.
Court paperwork shows, "The broken automotive pieces from the collision scene were brought to the location and they matched the damaged area of the car."
By Katrina Wessman | abc15