Rhode Island transit chief resigns after he’s accused in a hit-and-run at a McDonald’s drive-thru

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island Public Transit Authority CEO Scott Avedisian submitted a letter of resignation to Gov. Dan McKee on Thursday just two weeks after he was accused in a hit-and-run in a McDonald’s drive-thru in Warwick.

The announcement came the same day as the RIPTA board of directors met behind closed doors to discuss Avedisian’s fate.

In his letter of resignation, Avedisian ticked off a series of what he portrayed as successes adopted during his tenure.

“Regrettably, all of these initiatives are now being overshadowed by recent events,” he wrote. “I regret that the good work of the employees is being detracted by my actions.”

Avedisian pleaded not guilty last week to a misdemeanor offense of leaving the scene of an accident after police said he caused a three-car crash in a Warwick McDonald’s drive-thru and fled the scene.

The former Warwick mayor began serving as the head of RIPTA in 2018. A successor to the post has yet to be named.