Driver killed when struck by stolen SUV in Modesto is identified

The driver killed when struck by a stolen car in downtown Modesto on Wednesday afternoon has been identified as 66-year-old Gloria Pearl Hawkins of Modesto, the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office reported.

The crash occurred about 1:45 p.m. According the Modesto Police Department, the driver of a stolen black Chevrolet SUV was heading east on L Street, ran a red light and broadsided Hawkins’ Mustang, which was traveling north on Seventh Street. Hawkins died of her injuries at a nearby hospital.

The driver and two passengers in the SUV ran from the scene. The driver was described as either Latino or black, in his 20s, with a thin build. The passengers, a man and a women, are Latino and in their 20s.

One of the male suspects was seen on surveillance video, running north in the alley behind the Daydreams and Nightmares Costume Shop on Seventh Street.

The SUV was stolen early Wednesday from a residence in south Modesto, said Officer Thomas Olsen, spokesman for the California Highway Patrol’s Modesto office.

Anyone with information on the crash is asked to contact Modesto police Officer Daniel Phillips at phillipsd@modestopd.com. Information may be anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636.

This story was originally published August 24, 2017 at 10:23 AM with the headline "Driver killed when struck by stolen SUV in Modesto is identified."