EAST LONGMEADOW — A driver suspected of fleeing the scene of a November crash that seriously injured a pedestrian has been identified and charged, local authorities announced.
Rubo Zhao, 34, of Springfield, was arraigned this morning in Palmer District Court on a single charge of Leaving the Scene of a Personal Injury Crash.
He was released following the arraignment, with future court hearings pending.
The incident occurred on Nov. 16, at approximately 9 p.m., when police allege Zhao’s 2024 Mercedes struck a pedestrian on Elm Street near Hanward Hill and then left the scene.
Multiple 911 calls reported the crash and indicated that an injured person, later identified as a 31-year-old Springfield woman, was lying in the roadway.
She was treated at the scene by East Longmeadow Police and Fire personnel before being transported to Baystate Medical Center with serious injuries.
The East Longmeadow Police Detective Bureau commenced an immediate investigation the night of the crash.
Detectives identified and seized the suspect’s vehicle as part of the investigation, and through further processing of the vehicle, alongside various technological and informational sources, they developed probable cause to believe Zhao was the operator at the time of the incident.
