Driver hits motorcyclist, flees the scene

MELROSE, Mass. (WHDH) -- On Sunday, a driver hit a motorcyclist off his bike and ran over him several times before fleeing the scene.

Witnesses used cell phones to snap pictures of a car as it sped away from an intersection in Melrose. Police said they used the pictures to find the driver.

“We heard the crash. What sounded like a crash and ran down and noticed the motorcycle was tipped over. The man was lying on the ground,” said Marc, a witnessed who tried to help the victim.

It doesn't end there. Witnesses said they saw the car repeatedly drive over the man who had been knocked off his bike. Then, they said the driver got out of his car, checked out the scene and got back behind the wheel.

“He backed down the hill going the wrong direction, turned around and fled the scene,” said Marc.

People who stopped to help said they tried to flag down the driver before he peeled off. They stayed with the victim who was conscious and asking for someone to call his wife.

“It’s quite disturbing. It's a human being; to drive over someone like that is unthinkable,” said Marc.

The victim was taken to a hospital with serious injuries.

A 76-year-old man has been identified as the driver and is now in custody.

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