A hit-and-run driver has been arrested and charged with murder about two weeks after hitting and killing a cyclist in downtown D.C., police say.
Thomas Hendricks Hollowell, 64, of Arlington, Virginia, was on his way to work at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History on Sept. 24 when he was hit by a dark-colored sedan.
D.C. police announced Friday they arrested 20-year-old Phillip Peoples, of Suitland, Maryland, in Hollowell's death.
Police said Peoples ran a red light and hit Hollowell at high speed. He then kept driving and never stopped, according to police.
Hollowell was taken to a hospital in serious condition and he later died.
Peoples has been charged with second-degree murder.
In court Saturday, Peoples pleaded not guilty and his lawyer asked the judge to grant him home detention with a monitoring bracelet. The judge denied the request and ordered Peoples to be held without bond, saying People's fled the scene, denied he was driving and had previous traffic offenses.
Carol Regier, Hollowell's wife, previously said she wanted to know more about why the driver sped through a red light.
"I hope and pray that there was a real significant reason for why he had to go so fast and why he had to disregard the traffic light," Regier said. "I can only imagine that there might be a reason."
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Regier said Hollowell rode his bike to work every day, and she asked him to send a text when he arrived safely.
Regier was visiting her baby granddaughter in North Carolina the day of the crash. She never received that text, but instead got a terrifying phone call from one of her husband's coworkers.
Regier rushed to her husband's side. She arrived shortly before he died at the hospital.
"This may be my calling: to get better safety conditions on the roads for bikes and for pedestrians," Regier said. "He would certainly appreciate that."
Holloway inspired many coworkers to bike more often, Regier said. But the downtown area can pose dangers to bikers.
"Red light runners. Unfortunately, this area is known for it," Dan Cole, a coworker of the victim, said.
Cyclists in the area said they were shocked by another crash involving a cyclist.
"There are societies where there are tons of cyclists on the road and they don't have these problems, so it's possible, but I think it involves a larger culture change," one woman said.
The crash happened three days after a man riding an electric scooter was hit and killed near Dupont Circle.
