Deaf father killed while biking with his kids in Oakland hit-and-run

OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland police are investigating a hit-and-run that killed a deaf bicyclist who was crossing an intersection with his two children.

The crash happened on June 16, just before 8:30 p.m., at the intersection of 14th and Jefferson streets, police said. 

Surveillance video provided by the police showed Dmitry Putilov, 42, biking with his sons, ages 6 and 8. Putilov was fatally hit by a Black 4-door Infiniti traveling at a high speed when he tried to cross the intersection. 

His sons, who are hearing, were not physically hurt.

"Now my kids are going to go see a therapist and get counseling," the boys' mother Alena Putilov, who is deaf, told KTVU as her older son interpreted.

"He should have stopped to check, not just drive away," she said.

Her son Serafim Barlow said Putilov, his stepfather was a "hard worker, really just supporting his community, the deaf community."

Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said, "We cannot think that this is OK, that this is tragic, and for two children to have to see this is devastating for all of us."

He asked the driver to surrender.

Putilov, known as "dima," was born in the Soviet Union. He moved to the U.S. for better opportunities and worked in construction. Friends say he was the glue that held many ex-Soviet deaf people in the Bay Area together.

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The driver did not stop and went westbound towards Interstate 980, officers said.

Police are asking for public assistance to identify the hit-and-run driver and are offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information long to an arrest in the case. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Oakland Police Department Traffic Investigation Unit at (510) 777-8570.