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BERKELEY'S NEWS • SEPTEMBER 30, 2023

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Suspect arrested for fatal hit-and-run of UC Berkeley chief legal counsel Christopher Patti

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AUGUST 31, 2017

An arrest has been made in relation to the fatal hit-and-run that took the life of Chief Campus Counsel Christopher Patti on Sunday morning.

Jonathan Ritter, 28, of Monte Rio, is being held in Sonoma County Jail on charges of vehicular manslaughter, felony hit-and-run and driving without a license, according to a press release issued by the California Highway Patrol. Ritter is to be arraigned today.

Patti was struck Sunday morning while biking in Sonoma County near Guerneville on SR 116. According to the press release, officers were able to determine Sunday that a BMW hit Patti and that Ritter may have been the driver at the time of the collision.

Officers located the vehicle in question later that day and impounded it for evidence. Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies, fire personnel and CHP officers worked to locate Ritter on Sunday into Monday, ultimately locating him Tuesday.

A witness of the collision contacted officers Monday to inform them that Ritter would be turning himself in, though Ritter did not do so, according to the press release. While following leads in the Monte Rio area, officers located and detained Ritter at the Monte Rio Amphitheater, then transporting him to Rohnert Park CHP office.

The investigation is still ongoing.

Check back for updates.

Audrey McNamara is an assistant news editor. Contact her at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at @McNamaraAud.
LAST UPDATED

SEPTEMBER 01, 2017