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DMV “accidentally” revokes license belonging to hit-and-run victim 

Posted at 11:50 PM, Aug 25, 2017
and last updated 2018-08-09 01:52:22-04

The Colorado Department of Motor Vehicles revoked a man’s drivers license for a hit and run accident, but there’s just one problem!

News 5 Investigates learned the DMV revoked the victim’s license, while the suspect got away without a ticket!

“I had the light to walk,” Michael Johnson said. “I was about three steps into the intersection.”

Michael Johnson is homeless and has to walk everywhere he goes.

Earlier this month, he was walking back from picking up groceries when a driver sideswiped him in the crosswalk near Tejon and I-25.

Fortunately, his injuries were minor.

“They stopped at the other intersection,” he said. “I went to their car and said ‘Hey, you just hit me and I’m calling the cops so wait here.’ They basically told me to go screw myself and then proceeded to drive away.”

Before taking off, Johnson did something police often recommend.

“I took my phone and snapped a picture of their license plate,” he said.

Police were able to use that information to find out the make, model, and registered vehicle owner, but the investigation appears to end here without any justice.

“The driver the driver who hit me, it was never followed up on,” Johnson said. “They were never charged. Nothing happened.”

A spokesperson for the Colorado Springs Police Department confirmed Friday that no charges have been filed.

To make matters worse, Johnson was in for another surprise.

“I received a letter from the DMV saying I was charged with driving in an accident or involved in an accident while my license was suspended,” he said.

Johnson’s license is suspended, which is why he was walking on the morning he was hit.

The DMV likely revoked Johnson’s license after skimming over the police accident report which stated there were two drivers involved in the accident.

However, if DMV employees read the officer’s narrative report, he/she would have noticed Johnson was a pedestrian, not a driver!

“The problem is the DMV is supposed to follow up and read the entire statement,” Johnson said. “How many other people are being screwed over because someone just decided to browse a document?”

The DMV agreed to schedule a hearing for Johnson’s case.

The administrator at the DMV office confirmed what we already knew:

-Johnson was not driving a car at the time of the accident

-The DMV entered “erroneous information” into its system which led to Johnson’s license being revoked.

Friday afternoon, the DMV “rescinded” the revocation. You can read the ruling here.

Johnson would like an apology from the DMV and wants the person who hit him charged with a crime.

We asked Colorado Springs police whether they followed up on this hit-and-run case and whether they offered Johnson the opportunity to identify who struck him through a photo line up.

As of 10 p.m. Friday, CSPD has not responded to that inquiry.

However, a spokesperson said although they identified the registered owner of the vehicle, in order for charges to be filed, they have to know who was driving the car. It’s not uncommon for someone to be driving a vehicle that is registered in a friend or family members name.

Johnson said their was a male driver and female passenger in the car that hit him.