San Diego police on Thursday located the white Mercedes-Benz SUV they believe was used by the driver who fatally struck a beloved Pacific Beach bar manager last weekend.
Detectives are actively working to identify and locate the driver, San Diego Police Department Officer Anthony Carrasco said.
A photo showing a blur of a white SUV was released by San Diego County Crimestoppers on Wednesday and a $1,000 reward for tips that lead to an arrest was offered in hopes of finding the driver.
Qwente Bryant, known as Q to loved ones, was crossing the street near Sandbox Pizza, at Garnet Avenue and Ingraham Street, when he was struck by the westbound Mercedes-Benz SUV shortly after 2 a.m. Saturday, according to San Diego police. The driver left the crash site northbound on Gresham Street.
Bryant, the beloved manager at Tavern at the Beach, was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, where he was pronounced dead. He was about a quarter-mile from his home when he was killed.
CrimeStoppersCrimeStoppers
CrimeStoppers released a photo showing the SUV believed to be in a hit-and-run crash that killed 41-year-old Qwente Bryant was killed on Garnet Avenue.
In a statement to NBC 7, Bryant’s mother hoped the person responsible for her son’s death would “be brought to justice to the full extent of the law.”
Bryant’s death comes three weeks after 6-year-old Hudson O’loughlin was killed by a hit-and-run driver on Pacific Beach Drive. The two deadly incidents occurred about a half-mile apart.
Qwente Bryant was killed on Garnet Avenue around 2 a.m. on Saturday morning, reports NBC 7’s Omari Fleming.
In the wake of the two deaths, friends and Pacific Beach residents are calling on city leaders to make even more traffic safety changes, despite crossing lights at some nearby intersections.
The most current data from the Transportation Injury Mapping System shows that between 2021 and 2025, there were 79 crashes resulting in 14 injuries involving pedestrians or bicycles within a half-mile of where Bryant was found. The two most recent fatal crashes were not included in that data.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477 or contact the agency online at sdcrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.