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Police arrest man in death of Anaheim bicyclist, who was mother of 8

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The driver who hit a bicyclist, the mother of eight, and then fled has been tracked down and arrested, police say.

Daniella Palacios, 44, of Anaheim, died the day after she was struck by a car while riding a bicycle in Anaheim.

Junior Rigoberto Lopez, 30, has been arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run in the Nov. 1 crash, said Anaheim police Lt. Bob Dunn.

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Anaheim police had been searching for the Buena Park man for more than a month when they received a call on the Orange County Crime Stoppers line that led them to Lopez, he said.

Police told Lopez to come in to the police department because they had questions about the crash. Before he could walk through the doors, he was placed under arrest.

Police said Palacios, who has eight children, was riding her bicycle at about 9:10 p.m. near La Palma and Magnolia avenues when she was struck by Lopez’s pickup truck.

After hitting Palacios, Lopez continued driving and fled the scene, police said.

Soon after the crash, police released photographs of Lopez’s truck -- a white 2013 Ford F-150 -- taken by a surveillance camera.

Detectives had received tips from Palacios’ family, but none of them led to Lopez.

Also on Thursday, police seized Lopez’s truck.

For breaking news, follow @VeronicaRochaLA on Twitter.

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