'Please help': Police, family still searching for suspect allegedly involved in deadly Mississauga hit-and-run
Peel police and the family of a 35-year-old Markham man who died following a hit-and-run in Mississauga last month are asking the public for help in identifying a suspect.
It happened on Dec. 17 at approximately 9:15 p.m. in the area of Dundas Street and Dixie Road.
Police said that the victim, Suresh Tharmakulasingam, was crossing the intersection after buying a coffee at a nearby restaurant. CTV News Toronto has learned that Tharmakulasingam had immigrated to Canada in 2010 and was working as a truck driver at the time.
Tharmakulasingam was making his way to his tractor trailer, which he parked at a gas station in the area, when he was struck by a 2008-2012 Ford Escape SUV.
Police said the driver of the vehicle, which they believe to be black in colour, left the scene without stopping or rendering any “assistance to the victim.”
Tharmakulasingam was transported to a trauma centre with life-threatening injuries. He was pronounced dead in hospital on Christmas Eve.
Tharmakulasingam's family tells CTV News Toronto that he had just married his wife in Sri Lanka last October.
Suresh Tharmakulasingam, 35, was struck by a vehicle in Mississauga on Dec. 17. He died in hospital on Christmas Eve. (Peel Regional Police)An image of a vehicle similar to the suspect’s has been released by police in an effort to identify the driver. Investigators believe the vehicle sustained front-end damage as a result of the collision.
The suspect is encouraged to consult with a lawyer and turn themselves into police, investigators said in a news release issued Thursday.
Anyone with information, surveillance video, or dashcam video related to the incident is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers.
'I MISS MY BROTHER': VICTIM'S FAMILY PLEADS FOR ANSWERS
Family and friends of Tharmakulasingam returned to the scene of the hit-and-run on Thursday where they laid flowers and made an emotional appeal for the suspect to turn themselves in.
"I don't know how to sleep, I miss my brother, he was a very lovely person. Please help," said Tharmakulasingam's brother, Mworphy, who was too distraught to speak any further.
Speaking with reporters, family and friends of Tharmakulasingam expressed frustration that the driver didn't remain at the scene.
"We are feeling very sad, whoever did this, should have stayed at the moment and at least could of called the ambulance and we could have saved him," said family friend Viji Mahlingham.
“My uncle was a very special person for me,” Tharmakulasingam’s nephew, Ariz Manothkumar, said. "I don't know what I'm going to do without him."
Tharmakulasingam had recently returned to Canada on December 11 and was in the process of finalizing his new wife's visa application, according to his brother-in-law, Manothkumar Selvarasa.
"My family, they don't believe this happened. His loss is the greatest loss," said Selvarasa. "He helped everybody and his family also, he was a wonderful hardworker."
Selvaras added that Tharmakulasingam's wife is struggling to come to terms with the death of her new husband and doesn't know how to move forward with her life.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.