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Brooke Walker ReportingAfter nearly two months of frustration, police finally got a break in a hit and run case. In December, 80-year old Robert Elbel was hit and killed while trying to cross Highland Drive. The driver took off leaving police with little information to go on, until today.
Police are asking for the public's help. Today they released a sketch they hope someone will recognize. Police say their suspect is a white man, around 45-years old with graying hair, about six feet tall, with an average build.
That information comes from a witness account and also from surveillance video. The video was taken in a Home Depot parking lot, near the scene of the accident, just minutes after Elbel was hit. It shows a man getting out of a Toyota pickup to examine damage -- dents on the front of the truck.
Investigators say the damage on the vehicle is consistent with this type of collision. Last week a witness came forward who says she saw the truck and the driver. She described the man as upset, even angry, saying the driver gave her a piercing glare.
Dep. Mike Schoenfeld, Salt Lake City Sheriff's Dept.: "He made eye contact wither for a brief minute. She was able to remember what he looked like and draw a sketch too. She also believes she can pick him out of a photographic lineup."
Robert Elbel was a volunteer research professor at the University of Utah. He was heading home, like he did every day on the bus, and was attempting to cross Highland Drive when he was hit. Witnesses on the scene told police the driver stopped briefly, looked and Elbel, and took off.
Police say this sketch is a significant development in the case -- a development they hope will lead to answers. If you recognize this individual, or have any information, you are asked to contact the Salt Lake City Sheriff's Department.
