Man sentenced to 20 years for intoxication manslaughter, failure to render aid for 2018 hit-and-run

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Darrell Shane Smitty (Booking photo is from a 2016 arrest)

AUSTIN, Texas - A plea deal has led to a 20-year prison sentence for a man who struck and killed another man with his truck before fleeing the scene. 

On the morning of August 1, 2018, 53-year-old Darrell Shane Smitty struck a man, 40-year-old Ernesto Garcia, who was walking towards a bus stop in the area. According to witnesses, Smitty drove his pick-up truck around the bus onto the sidewalk, striking Garcia. 

RELATED: Hit-and-run victim was on his way to his job when killed

A video captured by CapMetro shows Smitty exiting his vehicle, walking over to the victim and then returning to his vehicle before fleeing the scene. Garcia died of his injuries. 

Police were able to track down Smitty after he later went to Dell Medical Center at the University of Texas to seek medical attention. He was arrested the following morning. 

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In a plea deal with the Travis County District Attorney's Office, Smitty pled guilty to intoxication manslaughter and failing to render aid in connection in a hit-and-run. 

The case was prosecuted by Travis County Assistant District Attorney Matthew Foye with the Vehicular Crimes Special Prosecution Unit. “This case serves as a tragic reminder that everyone has a responsibility for each other’s safety on the roads of our community and that everyone has a legal duty to remain at the scene of a collision. If you do not remain, you can and will face an additional criminal charge for leaving,” Foye said.