Prosecutors: Victim could have seen hit-and-run suspect flee | Crime

VANCOUVER, Wash. – Prosecutors said in court on Tuesday that a man accused of fleeing a deadly accident scene circled back around just long enough for his dying friend to see him not stop.

Russell H. Amon, 29, faces a felony hit-and-run charge stemming from an incident on Saturday where police said 34-year-old Jose Gonzalez-Ramirez fell out of the back of his convertible and died.

Prosecutors said Amon fled the scene, but not before he stopped and circled back after the fall. In court on Tuesday, prosecutors said the victim was alive for a short time after the fall and likely saw his friend speed off without offering any help.

Prosecutors said Gonzalez-Ramirez tried to get Amon’s attention, but he did not stop and drove off into the oncoming lane of traffic.

“I’ve never witnessed something so cold as that man turning around and driving off,” witness Dee-Ann Janku told KATU on Monday.

Court documents show that Amon, who lives in Portland, was arrested in the Clark County Jail parking lot on Monday morning. Amon is also on probation for DUII and running from police during a previous incident, court documents revealed.

Given his history of not appearing for court dates, a judge ordered that he be held on $100,000 bond.