Two held after striking island bicyclist with truck, fleeing

Two Bluffton men were arrested Saturday afternoon after the driver of the truck they were riding in allegedly struck a bicyclist crossing U.S. 278 on Dillon Road, authorities from the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office said.

The suspect drove away from the scene after the accident, police said.

The victim, a 60-year-old Hilton Head Island man, was treated on the scene for scrapes and bruises, but was not seriously injured, Staff Sgt. Bobby Tuten said.

The driver, Anselmo Hernandez Hernandez, 24, was making a right turn at a red light when he struck the victim, who had a green light, Tuten said.

Hernandez drove away after the accident, but deputies caught up with him on Dillon Road, about 500 yards from the scene. After officers pulled him over in a parking lot, Hernandez got out of his Chevrolet pickup and started running. Officers arrested him after a "brief foot chase," Tuten said.

Hernandez was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with injuries; having no South Carolina driver's license; operating an uninsured motor vehicle; having open containers; and fleeing to evade arrest.

His passenger, Francisco Javier Hernandez, 33, was arrested on open container charges.

The two men were arrested within 10 minutes of the hit-and-run incident and taken to the Beaufort County Detention Center, Tuten said. Bond has not been set for either suspect.

Last week, South Carolina passed a new law that, among other things, requires drivers to leave a "safe operating distance" between themselves and bikers, which makes it easier to charge drivers who hit bicyclists.

Tuten said he wasn't aware of the new law, but said Hernandez faces appropriate charges.