Napa man dies after hit-run crash, driver apprehended in Santa Rosa

A Napa pedestrian has died and a fleeing driver was jailed on $1 million bail after a hit-and-run crash on a busy city street, police officials said.

Andrew Lynch, 57, was hit by a Cadillac Escalade as he was jaywalking across Redwood Road near a 7-Eleven west of Solano Avenue about 9:20 p.m. June 29, Napa police officials said.

Witnesses said the driver initially stopped, then drove away. Surveillance cameras captured clear images of the Cadillac and the woman’s face, and the police released photographs of the female driver asking for the public’s help.

Tips poured in, and investigators quickly identified the suspect driver as a Napa resident, 47-year-old Laura Ha, who also goes by Hang Ha, police said.

Officers believe Ha ditched the vehicle at a residence on Seymour Street and her husband, Peter Hoang, “assisted in concealing her whereabouts and evidence related to this investigation,” according to Lt. Brian Campagna.

On Saturday, investigators searched her home on Tejas Street and a residence associated with her on Seymour Street, where they found the Cadillac behind a locked gate.

Police said the SUV had front end damage and other physical evidence indicating it had been in a crash.

Police arrested Hoang, 46, on suspicion of being an accessory to a crime. But there was still no sign of his wife.

On Sunday, traffic investigators developed information suggesting Ha was in Santa Rosa at a business in the 400 block of Russell Avenue, according to police.

Campagna declined to elaborate on how they found her or the type of business.

Santa Rosa police pulled Ha over in a traffic stop just before 6 p.m. Sunday, and Napa investigators responded to the scene and arrested her. She was booked in the Napa County Jail on suspicion of felony hit and run causing injury or death.

Lynch suffered extensive injuries in the crash, including spinal, pelvis and neck fractures, police said. He died at a hospital Monday, Campagna said.

You can reach Staff Writer Julie Johnson at 707-521-5220 or julie.johnson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @jjpressdem.