BERKELEY, CA — October 7, 2026. An elderly couple visiting from Spain suffered serious injuries when a vehicle struck them and the driver left the scene near University Avenue and Eighth Street.
According to the Berkeley Police Department, the 78-year-old man and 75-year-old woman had stepped out for a walk near their hotel around 9 p.m. when they were hit in the area of the crosswalk. The driver, identified as 22-year-old Farhan Ayubi of Richmond, allegedly fled without stopping. A witness followed the vehicle and gave investigators a description. Using automated license plate readers from Berkeley and Emeryville, business security footage, and city surveillance cameras, police identified Ayubi. He was arrested on October 13 in El Cerrito on suspicion of two counts of felony hit-and-run. The victims remain hospitalized in serious condition. Family members have traveled from Spain to support their recovery.
