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Last updated on Tuesday, March 28, 2017
(COLUMBUS) - Columbus police made an arrest following a hit-and-run crash on Sunday evening that killed one person and critically injured another.
FOX59 News reports that Columbus police officers responded to Taylor Road near Lakeside Drive around 7:15 p.m. in regards to a report of a serious injury crash.
Columbus residents 30-year-old Anshul Sharma and 28-year-old Samira Bharadwaj had been struck by a vehicle. Sharma died at the scene and Bharadwaj was transported by medical helicopter to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis in critical condition.
Witnesses at the scene told officers that a red 2007 Chrysler minivan was involved in the crash before fleeing the scene.
Officers also spoke with a witness who said he observed a red minivan with a damaged windshield driving recklessly on Chandler Lane shortly after the crash.
Officers located the vehicle a short time later parked in a driveway in the 2000 block of Chandler Lane. They spoke with 36-year-old Michael Demaio of Columbus who was inside the residence.
After speaking with Demaio, officers suspected that he was impaired. Demaio was transported to Columbus Regional Hospital where police say he failed several field sobriety exercises and consented to a blood test.
Demaio was later transported to the Bartholomew County Jail. He faces the following preliminary charges: failure to stop after an accident resulting in death - OWI (level 3 felony); failure to stop after an accident resulting in injury - OWI (level 3 felony); operating while intoxicated resulting in death (level 5 felony); and operating while intoxicated resulting in injury (level 6 felony).
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