JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — A tragic incident on West Market Street in Johnson City led to the arrest of a suspect after a pedestrian was fatally struck by a vehicle on Sunday evening, according to the Johnson City Police Department (JCPD). The driver allegedly fled the scene following the accident.

The JCPD attributed the successful identification of the vehicle to their Flock Safety cameras, which captured the license plate number and directed officers to the suspect.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) has named the suspect as 32-year-old Kayla McCown, and the victim as 57-year-old Danny Davis.

Authorities were alerted to the situation at approximately 7:30 p.m. when a Washington County deputy, passing by the intersection of West Market Street and South Center Street, reported seeing an individual who appeared to have been hit and killed.

“No calls were made to Emergency Communications (911) regarding the accident, and there were no witnesses present when police arrived,” the release indicated. “The suspect vehicle had already left the scene before law enforcement could respond.”

The JCPD said the THP was notified and assumed responsibility for the investigation with help from the JCPD and WCSO. The JCPD reviewed traffic camera footage, which captured the crash and provided a description of the vehicle involved. The THP said the vehicle McCown was driving was a 2023 Subaru Ascent.

The THP said Davis was “crossing West Market Street, but not within a marked crosswalk,” when he was struck by McCown’s vehicle. Davis was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

“The vehicle description was entered into the JCPD’s Flock Safety license plate reader system, which helped investigators identify a license plate associated with the vehicle,” the release states. “At approximately 9 p.m., the THP and JCPD officers had identified a suspect and made an arrest.”

The JCPD said the THP filed charges against McCown and handled her arrest. The THP confirmed that McCown was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving injury or death, duty to give information and render aid, and immediate notice of accident. She was not injured during the crash, the THP said.

The collaborative effort of the THP, JCPD, and WCSO – along with traffic camera footage and license plate reader technology – provided investigators with information that was not otherwise available, particularly in the absence of witnesses or 911 calls. This helped the THP advance the investigation, making an arrest 1.5 hours after the initial call.

JCPD