International manhunt for man, 21, who fled the scene of a hit-and-run accident in Argentina that killed a 5-year old boy and injured his mother as authorities fear he fled the country
Argentine authorities have launched a manhunt for a man who abandoned the scene of a hit-and-run accident that killed a five-year-old boy.
A surveillance video camera recorded the moment Débora Agosti held the hand of her son, Isaac Sus, as they rushed across the street before Ricardo Papadopulos, 21, blew past a red light and hit them last Thursday.
Sus was rushed to a local hospital in Buenos Aires, where he died early Friday. Agosti remains hospitalized and is in critical condition.
Judge Patricia Guichandut issued a warrant for Papadopulos. An Interpol red notice was also issued.
Still image from a surveillance camera video shows Débora Agosti and her five-year-old son Isaac Sus crossing the street before they were run over by Ricardo Papadopulos, who was behind the wheels of the Volkswagen Golf GTI, last Thursday in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Sus was rushed to a local hospital and died Friday. Agosti remains hospitalized
Argentine authorities have launched a manhunt for Ricardo Papadopulos, the 21-year-old man who fled the scene of a fatal hit-and-run accident last Thursday in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Flores
Isaac Sus was hit by a vehicle that left the scene of the accident last Thursday and was declared dead Friday
Authorities raided a home in the Buenos Aires town of San Pedro following reports that Papadopulos could have been hiding there. But the search came up empty.
Papadopulos' father, Rubén Papadopulos, initially turned himself in to Buenos Aires police Saturday, and in court said that he had lost contact with his son and had no idea of his whereabouts.
'I was not in that car. I was at home when my son called me to tell me that he had an accident,' Papadopulos said. 'He was nervous, scared and crying. I did not understand him well because communication was cut off and I could not communicate again. That was the last contact I had.'
However, investigators assigned to the case discovered Monday that Ruben Papadopulos was never behind the wheels of the Volkswagen Golf GTI that fled following the accident.
Authorities discovered Ricardo Papadopulos's abandoned vehicle at an indoor parking lot in Buenos Aires
Ricardo Papadopulos (front center) talks on the phone moments after he parked his car after he left the scene of a hit-and-run accident that killed five-year-old Isaac Sus in Buenos Aires, Argentina, last week
Authorities discovered the vehicle abandoned at a parking lot and a review of the indoor lot's security system showed Ricardo Papadopulos parking the car and exiting from it with a male passenger, whose identity has not been released by the Buenos Aires police.
Online portal Infobae reported that Papadopulos was not licensed to drive.
In October 2017, a then 18-year-old Papadopulos applied for his first driver's license, but the initial application was rejected because he could not provide a psychiatric evaluation. Papadopulos then presented the evaluation in January 2018 and was granted a driver's license for one year. His permit expired and was never renewed.
A source close to the investigation told Infobae he could have fled the country or could be hiding within the local Roma community.
Family members and friends held a candlelight vigil Wednesday for Sus and Agosti, and called for Papadopulos arrest.