A Brookline resident was hospitalized with serious injuries after being hit by a car on University Road on Saturday night, according to Brookline police.
Robel Tadele, a 24-year-old Cambridge resident, was arrested Saturday night on one count of operating under the influence of alcohol, one count of speeding and one count of negligent operation of a motor vehicle, according to a police report.
Tadele was arraigned in Brookline District Court Monday morning and pleaded not guilty.
Brookline police received a call on University Road around 11 p.m. on Saturday night, police said. When the police arrived they identified the victim — Vanya Amla, a 56-year-old woman — in an “unnatural state” in the street, according to police.
Amla, a resident of University Road, was loading items into the backseat of her car, which was parked on the street, when she was hit by Tadele’s car, according to police.
Police performed “life-saving care” on Amla, who was later transported to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where she underwent surgery, police said. She is still in the hospital, according to hospital staff.
Both Amla’s vehicle and the vehicle parked in front of it had their driver’s side mirrors missing after the accident, according to the police report.
A witness told police he had heard a car engine revving, followed by a loud noise and screaming. After the accident occurred, the operator of the car seemed “distraught,” the witness told police.
Police approached Tadele, who was lying on his stomach, punching the ground and yelling “I [expletive] up,” according to police. He had glassy eyes, slurred speech and smelled of alcohol, police said.
Tadele admitted to drinking alcohol throughout the day at a bar crawl, according to the police report. He failed two field sobriety tests, police said.
Tadele was arrested. He has no criminal record but received a citation for speeding in 2022, according to the police report.