Some on social media are continuing to slam the Manteca Police Department for not making an arrest in last week’s fatal hit-and-run that killed a 73 year-old woman crossing Lathrop Road.

Manteca Police Sgt. Steve Beermann on Wednesday issued the following press release to further explain the investigative process law enforcement must follow before arresting an individual on hit and run charges.

On Sept. 22, an officer assigned to the department’s Major Accident Investigation Team interviewed the suspected driver in the fatal collision that occurred in the 800 block of West Lathrop Road on Sept. 18 in front of the Calvary Community Church.

The interview occurred due to the person contacting an attorney who in turn contacted the police department to set up the interview.

As previously mentioned in an earlier press release, fatal collisions are complex investigations that require analysis of several pieces of evidence to determine the cause of the collision: such as damage to the car, matching injuries sustained by the victim, driver’s statement, data from the car’s electronics, scene evidence, and witness accounts.

That analysis normally takes a couple months to perform and reach a determination of who was at fault and what enforcement action is appropriate.

Being that the hit and run portion is a result of the fatal collision, making an arrest for one part starts the clock requiring reports covering the whole event to be submitted to the district attorney’s office in a specific timeframe because they cannot prosecute one charge now and another later.

Due to more investigation needed to corroborate the suspected driver’s statement and all the other factors described, and that the person is not a flight risk because he contacted us, a decision was made to complete a proper investigation prior to any enforcement action being taken.

The police department stives for transparency, but we cannot conduct a proper investigation by providing step by step information about investigative decisions. More importantly, MPD will always conduct a proper investigation that takes into account all the parties involved and the available evidence to evaluate and come to a just conclusion.

Beermann said the department will not comment any further on the investigation until a conclusion has been made on what enforcement action is justified in taking.