Felony Arrest Warrant Issued in August Lawton Hit-and-Run That Injured Electric Tricycle Rider

A felony arrest warrant was issued Sept. 11 for 67-year-old Michael Rijo of Lawton in connection with an August hit-and-run crash near Northwest 17th Street and Ferris Avenue. According to police, an electric tricycle rider, Michael Hileman, was crossing the intersection when a Cadillac Escalade struck him. A witness told investigators the tricycle had the green light and the SUV ran the red. The rider was life-flighted to OU Medical Center with a severe head laceration, fractured back vertebrae, and a broken collarbone.

What helped move the case forward was surveillance video from the Vaska Theatre, which showed the SUV continuing westbound on Ferris with the tricycle scraping the pavement. Police located the Escalade on Aug. 3 with fresh front-end damage and detained Rijo, who told investigators his license was suspended and that he had seen the tricycle cross in front of him and a person lying injured in his rear-view mirror. Rijo faces counts of leaving the scene of an accident involving injury and causing an accident without a valid driver’s license, plus a misdemeanor traffic count.

These are accusations, and Rijo is presumed innocent unless the case is proven in court. Still, this crash is a reminder of how quickly an ordinary trip across town can turn dangerous for riders sharing the road with cars and trucks. Have you noticed close calls at that intersection, or anywhere else in Lawton? Tell us in the comments.