Two arrested, accused in street-racing death

Riverside County Sheriff’s deputies arrested two men they said were street racing in Moreno Valley when one of their vehicles struck and killed a pedestrian on Saturday.

Officials said a black Jeep Cherokee and a blue Chevrolet Camaro were speeding eastbound on Sunnymead Boulevard at around 5:30 p.m. when the Cherokee hit a man who was walking across the street. Both vehicles continued on without stopping.

Later, detectives gathering evidence at the scene said Jorge Diaz, 20, of Moreno Valley, and Miguel Garcia Valdez, 22, of Perris, “contacted” them to identify themselves as the drivers, according to a news release.

Diaz, who contacted the detectives at around 8:30 p.m., said he was driving the Cherokee. Valdez said he was driving the Camaro, according to a Sheriff’s Department statement. Officials didn’t say when Valdez contacted them.

The detectives could not be reached about the reason the men gave for contacting them or what else was said that may have played a part in the arrests of both men.

Detectives accused Diaz of murder and street racing, and Valdez of vehicular manslaughter and street racing.

In their statement, Sheriff’s detectives said witnesses at the scene and evidence they collected pointed to the Cherokee as the vehicle that struck the victim.

Deputies shut down Sunnymead boulevard for hours Saturday between Heacock Street and Back Way as detectives conducted their investigation.

Officials said the victim was walking across Sunnymead, east of Heacock, when the Cherokee hit him. Officials didn’t say whether the man was walking in a crosswalk, but there’s no pedestrian walkway on Sunnymead until Back Way.

The man died at the scene.

Coroner officials with the Sheriff’s Department identified the victim only as a 45-year-old man from Moreno Valley. They have not released his name yet.