Suspect arrested in Berkeley hit-and-run that injured elderly tourists from Spain

By Carlos E. Castañeda

The suspected driver in a hit-and-run crash in Berkeley last week that left an elderly couple from Spain with severe injuries was arrested on Tuesday, police said.

The collision happened on Oct. 7 at about 9 p.m. in the area of University Avenue and Eighth Street. The two pedestrians, a 78-year-old man and a 75-year-old woman, were staying at a hotel nearby and staffers said they couple had just gone outside for a walk when they were struck.

In a press release on Tuesday, the Berkeley Police Department said a witness followed the suspect vehicle as it left the area and provided a description. Investigators obtained data from automated cameras in Berkeley and Emeryville, along with security footage from nearby businesses and the city’s surveillance cameras, and were able to identify the suspect as 22-year-old Richmond resident Farhan Ayubi, poice said.

On Tuesday, Berkeley police investigators arrested Ayubi in El Cerrito for suspicion of two counts of felony hit-and-run. Jail records show he was scheduled to be arraigned on Thursday at the Wiley E. Manuel Courthouse in Oakland.

The victims remain in the hospital in serious condition, police said.