Man arrested in connection to deadly hit-and-run in 2021 in Oakhurst

OAKHURST, Calif. (FOX26) — 20-year-old Eben Hammond was killed in a hit-and-run crash on July 7, 2021, in Oakhurst.

He was walking and skateboarding home with family members just before midnight when he was hit by what was described as a dark SUV like a Jeep Cherokee or Toyota 4Runner.

Hammond was hit from behind and died at the scene.

With the cooperation of Hammond’s family, friends, the community, and Crime Stoppers, numerous leads were investigated by the Oakhurst CHP Area Office.

In March of 2022, a Crime Stoppers tip led CHP detectives to 22-year-old Bryce Yandell of Coarsegold.

Almost two years later California Highway Patrol has now arrested the possible driver.

Detectives with the California Highway Patrol located Yandell on Tuesday and took him into custody.

Yandell was the owner of a Jeep Cherokee which he claimed was parked in Mariposa and has not been driven since 2021.

Yandell claimed there was no collision damage; however, CHP discovered major damage consistent with a vehicle vs. pedestrian collision.

After several interviews, Yandell insisted he had no involvement in the death of Eben Hammond.

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"The entire mountain community came together and sought justice for him," said Matthew Sconce, Hammond's Godfather. "They got the crime stopper number out there everywhere. Everyone was looking for the car that was involved, the person that was involved. They felt like he was owed that."

CHP said Yandell denied being part of the hit-and-run but officers said during their investigation they noticed his car had damage that was consistent with the crash.

"Looking at his cellphone data they were able to ping his location using cell towers and he was in fact in the vicinity of the crash on July 7th as well as the approximate time of the crash," said Adrian Lopez a Public Information Officer for CHP.

Hammond's godfather said when he heard about the arrest, it felt like his family was finally getting justice.

"For almost two years we've sought this feeling that we needed that closure. It kind of felt like there was a hole in our hearts," said Sconce. "Not knowing what happened or why it happened or who was responsible. It feels like we were never able to have that part of grief."

Now he's grateful his little community never forgot about his 20-year-old godson.

"Thank you to the person that called crime stoppers, it matters to our entire future, I really appreciate you and every single person that got the number for crime stoppers out there and helped spread the word," said Sconce. "You're heroes and you helped move us to this point where now justice can be served."