Driver faces murder and hate crime charges after allegedly running down pedestrians multiple times in Fairfield

FAIRFIELD — A driver is charged with murder and hate crime causing injury after Fairfield police said he ran over a man multiple times in a parking lot and left the scene late Thursday morning.

The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. when a man was walking through the north parking lot of Solano Town Center and was struck by another man driving a white Dodge pickup truck, police said.

At that point, the suspect, later identified as 25-year-old Fairfield man Vakautakava Tangitau, ran over the victim multiple times and drove away from the scene, according to police.

A witness was able to track Tangitau while alerting police. Police said they located Tangitau less than three miles from the crime scene near East Tabor Avenue and Sunset Avenue and took him into custody.

CBS13 spoke to another witness by phone Thursday evening.

“The truck was about to flee the scene of the accident. The way he was driving was like he was going fast and then he stopped, then he just swerved to the left and started driving, and it was strange to see. That's when I noticed the body on the floor. Then I thought, 'Oh my God,'” Alba Padilla said.

Police said Tangitau was known to officers due to previous mental health calls. He was booked into the Solano County Jail Thursday on a murder charge. His criminal record also shows previous charges of vandalism, obstruction and resisting arrest in 2021 and 2022.

“We notice that this happens a lot here. I don’t know what’s going on, but yeah, it’s shocking,” Padilla said of the recent trend showing an alarming increase in pedestrian accidents in Solano County.

See also: Pedestrian accidents are becoming increasingly common in Solano County, resulting in at least five deaths per month

The man killed has not been identified at this time and the motive and crime are under investigation.

Fairfield police ask anyone with information to call (707) 428-7300.