Man hunts down alleged hit-and-run driver after wife is killed

CORONA —  A man who made it his mission to track down the hit-and-run driver who killed his wife and mother of their eight children led police to an 85-year-old suspect in Corona, who was arrested, authorities said.

Brenda Richardson died after a white Lexus struck her motorcycle last week in Corona, police said.

Her husband, Rod Richardson, told KNBC-TV that he decided to search for the car that hit his wife.

While at the intersection where the collision occurred, Richardson said he spotted the entrance of an apartment complex.

“Something was on my heart, tugging me, saying, ‘You need to go in,’” Richardson told the news station.

As soon as he entered the complex, he saw a white Lexus with damage to the passenger side front door.

“My heart dropped,” he said.

He called Corona police and officers arrested Tashiro Isa on suspicion of felony hit and run and vehicular manslaughter. It wasn’t known Sunday if the 85-year-old suspect has an attorney.

Police Sgt. Chad Fountain confirmed Richardson’s account, the Riverside Press-Enterprise newspaper reported Saturday.

Richardson said he was moved to act because the grief of losing his wife and mother of his children was overwhelming.

“When you have your older kids falling on the ground crying ’cause they have no control,” he said. “Your younger kids waking you up in the middle of the night saying they missed her, it’s a lot.”

Richardson said his wife worked for decades with the the Veterans Affairs Department in Long Beach. The family has started a GoFundMe account to cover funeral expenses.