Dallas Police have arrested a 21-year-old man in connection with the hit-and-run death of rising Dallas comedian Henry Cruz last month. The arrest brings a measure of relief to the local comedy community and Cruz’s loved ones, who have been seeking answers as the August 23rd tragedy.
Cruz, 29, was struck and killed while walking with friends along Elm Street near Interstate 345 after performing a stand-up show. A vehicle had exited the highway and left the roadway, fatally striking Cruz. The driver initially fled the scene.
Investigators identified Angel Vergara rojas as the driver and he was booked into the Dallas County jail on September 3rd, facing a charge of death involving a collision. As of Friday, rojas was not listed as an inmate in the county jail.”It sucks that it happened in the first place,” said Angel Hernandez, a friend of Cruz sence sixth grade. “There were two lives that were affected by this tragedy. I’m just glad there was an arrest.”
Fellow comedian Sagan Butler, who was walking with Cruz and attempted to resuscitate him, described Cruz as “just a ball of love and positivity and kindness and generosity.” Butler also expressed lingering questions about the incident. “There’s still a lot of ‘whys,'” he said Friday.”How did this happen? Why did this happen? why didn’t they stop?”
Following Cruz’s death, the Dallas comedy scene organized events to celebrate his life and talent.A roadside memorial marks the location of the crash.
