Fairfax man arrested for fatal hit-and-run of 75-year-old pedestrian on Route 50

Several hours after responding to a fatal hit-and-run of an elderly pedestrian on Route 50 on Friday, Fairfax County police said they have taken a suspect into custody for the deadly incident.

Maria Ascencio, 75, of Fairfax, was allegedly hit twice by 31-year-old Kenan M. Ozcan, of Fairfax, who was driving a 2016 Dodge Dart at the time of the incident, according to Fairfax County police.

Police are investigating whether Ozcan intentionally hit Ascencio twice with his vehicle. Officials say it does not appear that the two were known to each other.

Route 50 was shut down in both directions as they investigated the accident.

Ascencio was crossing Rugby Road traveling eastbound when she was hit around 10:15 a.m. Friday morning, according to officials. They believe the car hit Ascencio, then turned around and hit her a second time before leaving the scene.

In a separate incident, police received a call from a 43-year-old woman at around 12:45 p.m. in a shopping center in the 3900 block of Fair Ridge Drive about a man who was "acting strangely." Police say the woman took a photo of the man, who was later identified as Ozcan. He became agitated, assaulted the woman and went into a nearby business.

During the assault investigation, officials noticed the man's vehicle had front-end damage and determined he was involved in Friday morning's fatal hit-and-run.

By the people that knew her, Ascencio was someone who put others before herself. She had three children, five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She moved to the United States from El Salvador 20 years ago to give them a better life.

"She was always asking, 'What do you need? What can I do for you?'" said Ascencio's daughter, Sandra Chavez.

The 75-year-old matriarch loved her family and she loved her morning walks in her Fair Oaks neighborhood. Friday morning was no exception.

"An hour later, she didn't come back home and that is when I was calling to her phone," said Chavez.

But she was never able to reach her mother. Instead, police answered the phone saying there had been an accident.

"I felt in my heart like something wrong happened, and I said, 'No, please no, please not my mom,'" said the victim's daughter.

Ozcan was taken to the Adult Detention Center and charged with felony hit-and-run and robbery.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Fairfax County Police Department at 703-691-2131 or Crimes Solvers electronically by visiting http://www.fairfaxcrimesolvers.org or text-a-tip by texting "TIP187" plus your message to CRIMES (274637).