Hit And Run Suspect Turned Himself In

On Friday, 2-20-2026, at about 6:30pm Lincoln City Police Officers responded to a report of a vehicle that had struck a pedestrian in the area of NW 15^th Street on Highway 101.  When they arrived, they found 80-year-old Lincoln City resident, Joseph Koffend, injured on the street.  Lincoln City Police Officers, North Lincoln Fire and Rescue personnel, and Pacific West Ambulance staff provided medical care until Koffend was able to be transported to the Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased.

Thanks to the assistance of witnesses and video cameras in the area, Officers were able to identify the driver of the suspect vehicle as 45-year-old Juan Antonio Suarez Jimenez, of Lincoln City. Despite attempts to conceal his vehicle, it was later located outside of city limits and was seized under a search warrant.

On Sunday 2-22-2026 Suarez Jimenez came to the Lincoln City Police Department to turn himself in.  He was arrested and lodged at the Lincoln County Jail on the charge of Failure to Perform Duties of Driver to Injured Persons, a Class B felony.  The Lincoln County District Attorney’s Office will also be reviewing the reports for potential additional charges.

The Lincoln City Police Department thanked the citizens who assisted us in our life-saving efforts, as well as all the help we received in searching for the involved vehicle.  They also thanked NLFR, PacWest, and Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital, and the Lincoln County Major Crash Team for all their hard work.  ODOT was also instrumental in traffic control during the investigation.  Finally, the Oregon State Police and Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office were both extremely helpful in taking calls for service while our department was working on the scene.