The Marietta Police department made an arrest in the March 12 hit-and-run in which the driver seriously injured two construction workers who were putting up a traffic directional board on Roswell Road (see the original article below this update).

The suspect is a 23-year-old Dallas, Georgia man, who fled the scene of the accident on foot.

[The Cobb County Courier has a policy of withholding or redacting the name of suspects unless and until the person is convicted in a court of law or enters a plea of guilty. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty, and the internet has no effective way of removing reports of arrest if the person is exonerated. We do make exceptions in high-profile cases or charges against public officials where exoneration is likely to be as widely publicized as the initial arrest]

Here is the status of the victims: Oscar Aguilar is recovering and has been released from the hospital, Jimmy Varraza remains in critical condition.  Additional charges may be added later pending Varraza’s recovery.

The department’s public information release listed the charges against the suspect.

1. Serious Injury by Vehicle (F) – 2 counts
2. Hit & Run (F) – 2 counts
3. DUI Less Safe (M)
4. Failure to Maintain Lane (M)
5. Suspended License (M)
6. Suspended Registration (M)
7. No Insurance (M)
8. No Seatbelt (M)
9. Improper Equipment (M)

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Original article about the incident

According to a public information release from Officer Chuck McPhilamy of the Marietta Police Department, two construction workers were struck and seriously injured by a driver who fled the scene on foot.  Their injuries are life-threatening.

The incident occurred early this morning,  March 12, 2023, at approximately 1:40 AM on Roswell Road under the I-75 overpass.

The department’s Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) Unit, which investigates serious or fatal traffic incidents is conducting the investigation.

The public information release described the incident as follows:

“The initial on-scene investigation revealed that two construction workers, thirty-eight-year-old Jimmy Varraza, and twenty-eight-year-old Oscar Aguilar, both from Metro Atlanta, were out of their vehicle setting up a traffic directional board for a lane closure.  

“A gray 2019 Volkswagen Jetta, traveling Eastbound on Roswell Road, failed to yield to the lane closure and struck the message board and both pedestrian construction workers.  

“The driver of the Volkswagen stopped at the scene and then fled on foot before first responders arrived.  

“Varraza and Aguilar were both transported to Grady Memorial Hospital with life-threatening injuries.  The driver of the 2019 VW Jetta has not been identified at this time.”       

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact Officer K. Bedford at (770) 794-5364.

About the City of Marietta

The City of Marietta is the county seat of Cobb County. The latest estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau puts the population of the city at 60,867 which makes it the second largest city in Cobb County by population, smaller only than the newly incorporated City of Mableton.

Here are a few fast facts from the Census Bureau

Marietta city, Georgia
Population, Census, April 1, 2020	60972
Population, Census, April 1, 2010	56579
Age and Sex
Persons under 5 years, percent	6.7%
Persons under 18 years, percent	21.8%
Persons 65 years and over, percent	13.2%
Female persons, percent	49.9%
Race and Hispanic Origin
White alone, percent	53.4%
Black or African American alone, percent(a)	32.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent(a)	0.6%
Asian alone, percent(a)	1.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent(a)	0.0%
Two or More Races, percent	4.7%
Hispanic or Latino, percent(b)	15.7%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent	46.4%
Population Characteristics
Veterans, 2016-2020	2678
Foreign born persons, percent, 2016-2020	16.6%
Housing
Owner-occupied housing unit rate, 2016-2020	44.0%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2016-2020	$310,100
Median selected monthly owner costs -with a mortgage, 2016-2020	$1,856
Median selected monthly owner costs -without a mortgage, 2016-2020	$526
Median gross rent, 2016-2020	$1,145
Families & Living Arrangements
Households, 2016-2020	24148
Persons per household, 2016-2020	2.39
Living in same house 1 year ago, percent of persons age 1 year+, 2016-2020	77.9%
Language other than English spoken at home, percent of persons age 5 years+, 2016-2020	23.7%
Computer and Internet Use
Households with a computer, percent, 2016-2020	95.1%
Households with a broadband Internet subscription, percent, 2016-2020	86.6%
Education
High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2016-2020	88.6%
Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2016-2020	44.0%
Health
With a disability, under age 65 years, percent, 2016-2020	6.3%
Persons without health insurance, under age 65 years, percent	20.2%
Economy
In civilian labor force, total, percent of population age 16 years+, 2016-2020	67.2%
In civilian labor force, female, percent of population age 16 years+, 2016-2020	61.2%
Total accommodation and food services sales, 2012 ($1,000)(c)	264544
Total health care and social assistance receipts/revenue, 2012 ($1,000)(c)	1584232
Total manufacturers shipments, 2012 ($1,000)(c)	1129407
Total retail sales, 2012 ($1,000)(c)	1976915
Total retail sales per capita, 2012(c)	$33,875
Transportation
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16 years+, 2016-2020	28.5
Income & Poverty
Median household income (in 2020 dollars), 2016-2020	$59,594
Per capita income in past 12 months (in 2020 dollars), 2016-2020	$36,112
Persons in poverty, percent	14.1%
Businesses
All firms, 2012	10501
Men-owned firms, 2012	4934
Women-owned firms, 2012	4186
Minority-owned firms, 2012	4286
Nonminority-owned firms, 2012	5502
Veteran-owned firms, 2012	1015
Nonveteran-owned firms, 2012	8663
Geography
Population per square mile, 2010	2451.4
Land area in square miles, 2010	23.08