Early morning crash kills pedestrian

AUSTIN (KXAN) - A crash killed a pedestrian in Central Austin early Tuesday morning, and police said Tuesday afternoon that he was kneeling in the street when he was hit by a vehicle.

It happened just after 2:30 a.m. on Guadalupe Street near 39th Street. Police shut down Guadalupe during the investigation. The victim was found on the ground in the northbound lanes, in front of a Natural Grocers food store.

Austin Police Department Watch Command said a taxi driver witnessed the accident and called 911. The taxi driver provided the license plate number of the vehicle that hit the man.

APD found the driver, who didn't initially stop at the scene, a few blocks away. He was arrested and charges for failure to stop and render aid are pending. He was driving a 2007 Mazda SUV.

Police said they were unsure if alcohol was a factor in the crash.

The pedestrian who was killed is only being described as a white male. Police said Tuesday afternoon that the investigation showed the victim entered the roadway and for unknown reasons, knelt in a lane of traffic before he was hit by the Mazda. His name has not been released.

Guadalupe Street was reopened to traffic by 7 a.m.

This is the 27th traffic death in Austin this year.