A 37-year-old man from Region Six has been taken into police custody as a suspect in the fatal hit-and- run accident which occurred on Friday night on the Number 70 Public Road, East-Berbice Corentyne, and claimed the lives of a young man and a woman.

According to a report from the police, the arrested man has been identified as the driver of a white Suzuki Escudo Motor Jeep, PVV 1015, which was found, with extensive damage to the front portion in the suspect’s yard at his Berbice address.

The suspect was arrested by detectives in Region Four, was turned over to their counterparts in that division, and is currently in custody at the Springlands Police Station.

The deceased young woman, who was initially unidentified, has since been identified as 28-year-old Felicia Fernandes of Lot 14 Coverden, East Bank Demerara. She was identified by her mother, Samantha Clarke.

The other deceased has already been identified as pedestrians Toney Lakeram, of # 71 Squatting Area Corentyne, Berbice.

Police Headquarters reported that Fernandes and Lakeram were walking along the road around 23:30 hrs when an unknown vehicle that was speeding north in the western drive-lane crashed into them.

According to a relative of Lakeram, he left home earlier in the afternoon to “play Phagwah” with friends and relatives at Number 68 Village and was reportedly walking towards his home in the company of Fernandes when the accident occurred.

Lakeram’s stepfather, Mukesh Suresh, 46, described his son as hardworking and responsible.

Suresh told the Guyana Chronicle that he received a telephone call from a relative before midnight, stating that the young man was involved in an accident and was taken to the Skeldon Hospital.

“When I get the call, we hurry to the hospital and when I reach I see he did done dead, he did lying down on a bench and look bruk up. Them bring the girl next to he and she too look more bad; then them carry them to the mortuary and tell we was a hit and run,” he said.