One man is dead and another is under arrest after a hit-and-run crash in Boston Wednesday afternoon.
Boston Police say a man in his 80s was crossing Commonwealth Avenue just before 1 p.m. Wednesday when a car hit him and continued driving. The man, who has not yet been identified, was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
"I just want to say one thing right.... accidents happen," said suspect Phocian Fitts.
Boston 25 News reporter Drew Karedes found Fitts of Brighton, who confessed that he did leave the scene after hitting the man.
"I was listening to my music and as I was driving I was driving too quick… I was driving too quick to the point where I couldn’t really stop and it was a green light. As the guy was walking, the light was green, I’m driving and pressing the horn, pressing the horn beep beep, it was either I was going to die and crash into a pole. When it came down to it accidents happen," said Fitts.
MORE: Boston 25 News interview leads to arrest in deadly hit-and-run
Fitts, however, told Boston25 News that he's making no apologies for what happened.
"Right now, I'm not worried about nothing, I'm not a stone cold killer. I didn't do nothing on purpose. People hit and run people all the time, it just happened to be an unfortunate situation where I was driving," said Fitts.
Police say the victim was in the crosswalk, but Phocian Fitts stands behind his decision to keep driving, even after he hit a man in broad daylight.
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"First off, I was scared and worried because I didn't know what can happen, that's why I left I said God forbid, I hope he's OK," said Fitts. "I'm a real gangster… I'm a real gangster not in a bad way I’m a gangster because I help out the community and I look out for the youth. I know that’s why everybody got my back my family. I'm not scared. it is what it is."
Police are reviewing area surveillance video to check the green light claim. Witnesses say the scene was awful.
"I heart a loud bang then I saw a person in the air. Had a pool of blood around his head. There was a registered nurse there and she had been working for 20 years. They were checking his pulse and checking his vitals and nothing," said a witness.
Police seized Fitts' clothing and Jeep as potential evidence in the case.
Initially, Boston Police sources tell Boston 25 News they did not have enough to arrest Fitts initially, but after seeing what he revealed to us, they had enough probable cause to take him into custody.
Fitts was taken into custody minutes after the exclusive Boston 25 News interview with him aired at 10 p.m. Wednesday. He will appear in Brighton District Court for motor vehicle homicide and leaving the scene of an accident after causing death.
Fitts was ordered held on $10,000 cash bail and GPS monitoring, Boston 25 News reported. Prosecutor asked for $15,000.
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