Lufkin Police Seeking Person of Interest in Hit and Run Death

The Lufkin Police Department is seeking a person of interest in a Monday evening hit-and-run accident that resulted in the death of a Lufkin man. Shanna Ellison, 20, of Lufkin, is wanted for questioning in the death of 80-year-old Manuel Escobedo. 

Escobedo was crossing Martin Luther King Drive around 8 p.m. Monday, June 12th, when he stepped into the path of the Dodge Charger Ellison was driving. Escobedo lived nearby on Bonita Street and was walking home at the time of the accident, according to witnesses.  He was taken to CHI St. Luke’s Health Memorial Lufkin and then flown to East Texas Medical Center in Tyler where he later died.

Upon striking Escobedo, Ellison fled the scene and was followed by a witness to FM 2251 where she wrecked out and struck a tree near Susie Street. The witness said Ellison drove erratically, reaching speeds of up to 120 mph.  Ellison fled the scene of that accident on foot, abandoning her passengers – Uriah Davis, 20 and Davis’ infant daughter. They were uninjured in the crash, which is being investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Charges against Ellison are pending and the incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information on Ellison’s location can call the Department’s non-emergency number at 936-633-0356 or Crime Stoppers at 639-TIPS if they wish to remain anonymous.