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Police looking for drivers in 2 deadly weekend hit-and-runs

Police say to be on the lookout for a white, older Chevy pickup truck with passenger side damage that might have been involved in Sunday's crash.

INDIANAPOLIS — Police are searching for two drivers wanted for deadly hit-and-runs that happened over the weekend, when two bicyclists were killed in separate crashes on the east side.

Part of a bike brake was lying near the road where 63-year-old Willie Earl Bryant died Sunday night. Sam Weber drove by on Emerson Avenue near Calhoun Street about 9:30 p.m. when he saw a mangled bicycle with flashing white and red lights and Bryant lying face down in a driveway. Weber stopped to help and called 911. Bryant was not responsive.

"I felt a faint, faint breath coming in, his chest moving just a tiny bit for a minute when I got there. Then it stopped," said Weber. "I just thought about how the family is going to feel and the fact that that man probably just went to the gas station to get himself Swishers and a drink or something. He was probably just going home to smoke and chill and lost his life on the way."

Credit: Lisa Chelf
63-year-old Willie Earl Bryant was killed in a hit-and-run crash on Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022.

Bicycle parts are strewn for 50 feet along Emerson Avenue, but home security video showed police what happened. 

Police said Bryant was riding on the shoulder, not the road, when a white, older model Chevy pickup truck with a black flatbed hit Bryant from behind while going north on Emerson Avenue.

Credit: WTHR
On Monday, Aug. 15, 2022, part of a bike brake was captured lying near the road where 63-year-old Willie Earl Bryant died Sunday night.

RELATED: IMPD investigating hit-and-run crash on southeast side that killed bicyclist

Police said the video shows no brake lights from the truck, which should have damage to the front passenger side.

"I don't know how they didn't see him,” said Weber. “He had a bright red shirt on, backpack, reflectors - and somebody just hit him and kept going - didn't care."

Credit: WTHR/Bill Ditton
Police investigate a hit-and-run crash that killed 63-year-old Willie Earl Bryant on Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022.

Just a few miles north, a new memorial hangs on a utility pole on Keystone Avenue to remember 67-year-old Emily Johnson. She was killed Saturday night just before 11:00 p.m. when her bicycle was struck by an unknown vehicle going south near 33rd Street, less than a block from Johnson's home.

Her family said she was a retired government worker and the first Black cheerleader for Broad Ripple High School.

Credit: Johnson family
Emily Johnson, 67, was killed Saturday night just before 11:00 p.m. when her bicycle was struck by an unknown vehicle going south near 33rd Street, less than a block from Johnson's home.

"As a cyclist, every time I hear about another rider getting killed, it makes me wonder, 'What's the hurry?'” said Bike Indianapolis executive director Damon Richards. “Why can't people take the time to respect others who are trying to use the road? We're all just people trying to get somewhere."

Bike Indianapolis tries to promote more bike riders, along with advocacy and safety education. 

"Bicycling is a fairly safe form of transportation,” said Weber. “It would be safer if everybody follows the rules, not just bicyclists but motorists as well."

Richards says the biggest problem for bikers is drivers just going too fast.

Credit: WTHR
A new memorial hangs on a utility pole on Keystone Avenue to remember 67-year-old Emily Johnson. She was killed Saturday night just before 11:00 p.m. when her bicycle was struck by an unknown vehicle going south near 33rd Street, less than a block from Johnson's home.

RELATED: Woman biking on Keystone Avenue dies in hit-and-run crash

Police are looking for information in both of these hit-and-runs. While they have video of the white pickup they say struck Bryant on Sunday, they have not released a description of the vehicle involved in Saturday's crash. 

If you have any information that can help, call CrimeStoppers. The number is 317-262-TIPS.  

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