Driver flees after killing Cathedral City man

The California Highway Patrol was still searching for the driver several hours later.

Shortly after midnight Friday, paramedics responded to the intersection of Ramon Road and Thelma Avenue after receiving reports of a man lying in the roadway. Oscar Martinez, a Cathedral City resident, was pronounced dead at the scene at 12:30 a.m., according to a coroner's report.

The person who struck Martinez fled the scene before police arrived, and CHP officers were still searching for the driver as of 2:30 p.m. Friday, Officer Rafael Espinosa said.

Espinosa said authorities found the car abandoned in the Thousand Palms area on Friday. The incident is being investigated by the CHP's Indio office.