Driver charged with DUI in death of bicyclist in Summerlin

By Jackie Valley

Published Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010 | 11:22 a.m.

Updated Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010 | 2:22 p.m.

Metro Police said the driver of a sport utility vehicle who they say struck and killed a bicyclist this morning in Summerlin has been charged with drunken driving.

Police arrested 38-year-old Feliciano Gonzales in connection with drunken driving resulting in death and hit-and-run causing a death, both felonies.

Officials said a 27-year-old man, who has not been identified, was riding his bike on Rampart Boulevard, just north of Del Webb Boulevard, when a 1999 Toyota Rav4 traveling north went off the road to the right, striking him from behind.

The collision ejected the bike rider, who was traveling in the bicycle lane, and he landed on the landscaped shoulder of the road, police said. He was transported to University Medical Center's trauma unit, where he died.

Officials said Gonzales initially fled the scene, but police found him at Cheyenne Avenue and Rampart Boulevard a short time later and arrested him.

The collision, the 45th traffic-related fatality in Metro's jurisdiction this year, is under investigation.

NOTE: Police initially reported the victim was 30 years old, but later determined he was 27. The age has been changed in the story.