Hartford police make arrest in fatal hit-and-run crash involving dirt bike

Police have charged a woman in connection with a fatal hit-and-run over the summer involving a dirt bike.

Avani Butler, 22, of Hartford was arrested Thursday in connection with a July 19 crash that killed 31-year-old David Michael Hicks, according to the Hartford Police Department. She faces charges of evading responsibility resulting in death, improper turn and tampering with physical evidence.

The crash that killed Hicks was reported at 8:24 p.m. at the intersection of Windsor and Loomis Streets where officers responded to the report of a motorcycle accident. Police at the scene found Hicks of East Hartford unresponsive in the road. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Hartford police said the city’s C4 cameras revealed that Hicks and another individual were traveling together on dirt bikes south on Windsor Street when a motorist in a Honda Crosstour turned in front of them, hitting one of the bikes. The driver of the Honda took off after the crash, according to police.

The Crosstour was later found unoccupied in the south end of the city by detectives with the Crime Scene Division. Police said they also discovered that the dirt bike Hicks was riding was unregistered and reported as stolen.

Butler’s arrest came after an extensive investigation involving a full accident reconstruction that led authorities to believe she was the driver of the Crosstour involved, according to police.

Butler was being held on a $450,000 bond pending an arraignment in Hartford Superior Court.