2-Year-Long Hit-And-Run Investigation Ends With Arrest

A piece from a driver's side mirror cracked a two-year-old metro hit-and-run case. Police said 32-year-old LaDarion Norton was recently arrested and charged in Oklahoma County for the 2021 crash in Bricktown that injured two men.

Norton faces four charges: two counts of leaving the scene of a crash involving injury, concealing a crime, and destroying evidence.

One of the victims told News 9 on Friday the newly released photos of Norton’s Telsa were chilling. The car threw Tommy Uglean and his friend off their scooters during an August night in Bricktown.

Uglean and his friend were hit near Reno and Mickey Mantle Drive by a Tesla that was driving at a high rate of speed, according to witnesses.

“One person was seriously injured in this,” said Sgt. Dillon Quirk, Oklahoma City Police Department.

Unlike his critically injured friend, Uglean was able to walk and spoke to News 9 shortly after the hit-and-run.

“It just didn’t seem real,” said Uglean. “It’s like a normal human being would stop and figure it out and be responsible for it, but this person wasn’t a normal human being.”

A piece of the driver's side mirror was left at the scene.

“That was initially what started the entire investigation,” said Quirk. 

Investigators also knew from security video the suspect's car was a black 2021 Tesla model 3. According to court documents, search warrants were served to multiple businesses to track down the owner. The vehicle came back to Norton.

“As it turns out, that driver had fled Texas,” said Quirk. “Moved that vehicle to Texas to have it worked on and fixed. Even made a false insurance claim.”

Police said Norton claimed he hit a deer when the damage to the car was from hitting two people.

“Our investigators are very thorough and want to make that arrest,” said Quirk. 

Uglean said he and his friend still have scars from that crash. He said they were relieved investigators never gave up the search for the suspect.