Dr. Marwan Maalouf
Suspect Nicholas LinskPHOENIX (CBS5) -
A Mesa man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to running down and killing a Valley neurologist riding his bicycle on Shea Boulevard on Oct 14.
Nicholas Linsk, 33, of Mesa, is accused of hitting Dr. Marwan Maalouf, 38, on Shea Boulevard with his pickup truck and then leaving the victim in a desert area off the side of the road.
Linsk originally tried to convince investigating officers his truck had been stolen when the accident happened.
Investigators said Maalouf was riding westbound alone in the bike lane near Fountain Hills and Shea boulevards when he was hit from behind.
What looked like pieces of that vehicle were found 50 feet from where the bicycle and the victim were found. A driver saw it and then observed the driver of a blue Chevy pickup acting suspicious a little further down the road at the Mayo Clinic.
Investigators said they found the truck believed to be involved a short time later and arrested Linsk.
Maalouf was a doctor at St. Joseph's Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix.
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