Arrest made in hit-and-run that killed 85-year-old cyclist

London police have made an arrest in a fatal hit-and-run that killed a cyclist early this year.

James Gordon Sutherland, a 38-year-old man from London, has been charged with leaving a collision scene causing death and is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.

Tae-Khun (Thomas) Ha was heading west on Dundas Street near Hale Street around 5:45 p.m. on Jan. 2 when he was hit.

London Police Const. Sandasha Bough says there were a number of witnesses at the scene, which allowed officers to identify the suspect vehicle.

Police said the vehicle fled the scene and had last been seen travelling north on Highbury Avenue from Dundas Street, but it has since been found by the London police traffic management unit.

Bough says Sutherland currently faces one charge.

“However, we are looking to the public for additional information, so if there is any witness out there or anybody that has any information in relation to this particular incident, the investigation is still ongoing so please give us a call,” Bough said.

Ha was a fixture in London’s cycling community. Dave Mitchell, who knew the 85-year-old through the Squeaky Wheel Bike Co-Op, described him as a man of few words.

“You really remember that sort of steadfast strength of an individual. He had a certain presence about him, it was certainly represented by the fact he, again, kept going.”

Mitchell said it was inspiring to see someone who, at 85 years old, continued to cycle regularly.

“This is particularly troubling, because it was a hit-and-run,” he said, adding that it’s caused him to question his decision to cycle some days.

“You’re aware of these sort of incidents, and you realize how much more distracted we are on the road and how lacking infrastructure is.”

Ben Cowie, the owner and operator of the London Bicycle Cafe, also called into question the safety of the city’s roads.

Although the details of the crash are yet to be known, Cowie describes east London as being “notoriously unwelcoming” for cyclists.

“Without any serious accommodations in London for people who ride bikes for transportation, it’s a question of when, not if, the next person is killed. That’s a thing we have to start taking seriously. If we design safe streets, we can design those deaths out of the system.”