Man turns himself in after hit-and-run that killed 2
SAN DIEGO
A 53-year-old man turned himself in to San Diego police in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed two women in the Paradise Hills area Sunday, a sergeant said Monday.
The collision occurred about 2:25 a.m. when a driver in a car headed west on Paradise Valley Road made a left turn onto Munda Road near the border with the Bay Terraces neighborhood. At the same time, a pickup headed east broadsided the car, police said.
The Ford F-150 driver ran away after the crash.
Two passengers in the Honda Civic — women, ages 23 and 25 — were taken to a hospital, where they died, police said. Their names were not released.
The driver, a 22-year-old woman, suffered serious injuries, police said. She was trapped until fire crews cut off the top of the car to free her, according to OnScene TV footage. She then was taken to a hospital.
A third passenger, a 25-year-old man, complained of pain but did not require treatment at a hospital, police said.
Several hours after the collision, Tony Garcia turned himself in at the Police Department’s Western Division station in the Morena area, Sgt. Victoria Houseman said. He was booked into jail on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run charges.
Anyone with information about the crash was asked to call the Police Department at (858) 495-7861 or the anonymous San Diego County Crime Stoppers tip line at (888) 580-8477.
Driver gets jail time for street racing on freeway SAN DIEGO
A 39-year-old driver was sentenced to 30 days in jail last week after he was found guilty of illegally racing others on a San Diego freeway, the City Attorney’s Office said Monday.
“This sentence shows how seriously my Office, law enforcement, and the courts take these reckless incidents on public roadways,”
City Attorney Mara Elliott said in a news release.
The driver, a Chula Vista man, was cited early Aug. 29, after California Highway Patrol officers spotted a group of vehicles driving slowing and using their hazard lights on Interstate 15 just south of Interstate 8, her office said.
The officers drove around the slow vehicles, suspecting they were blocking traffic because a street race was about to start. The officers saw the driver of a gray Honda Civic open his door, which Deputy City Attorney Alex Griffen said may have been the signal to start the race.
The officers saw the six cars speed off, including the Civic, and gave chase.
Along with the briefly open door, the Civic veered between lanes and reached speeds of 90 mph, the City Attorney’s Office said. The combination of violations drew the officers’ attention specifically to his car.
CHP officers chased the Honda for three minutes — lights and sirens on while issuing orders through the vehicle’s public address system — until the driver got off the freeway at Home Avenue in City Heights, pulled over and gave up.
A San Diego Superior Court jury found the driver guilty May 5 of a misdemeanor for illegal street racing. The jury acquitted him on a charge of trying to evade police, which was also charged as a misdemeanor.
On May 9, Judge Steven Stone sentenced the driver to 30 days in jail. With good behavior, he is expected to serve a little more than half that time. The driver must also serve a year of probation.
TERI FIGUEROA
Rapper pleads not guilty to gun charge in San Diego SAN DIEGO
U-T
Louisiana rapper Boosie Badazz, who was arrested in San Diego earlier this month, pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The rapper, whose real name is Torrence Ivy Hatch Jr., was arrested on the night of May 6 during a traffic stop on Market Street in the Chollas View neighborhood. Police did not disclose what led to the stop but said two loaded handguns were found.
Hatch, 40, remains out of custody on $50,000 bail. If convicted of the felony charge in San Diego Superior Court, he faces up to three years in state prison.
Two defense attorneys for Hatch declined to comment on the case after his arraignment Monday. Another man who was arrested along with Hatch has not been charged in connection with the incident.
Baton Rouge-based TV station WBRZ reported that Hatch was in San Diego at the time of his arrest to shoot a music video.
He also performed at the Phantom Lounge and Nightclub in the Gaslamp Quarter, reportedly after bailing out of jail.
Hatch’s criminal history includes convictions in Louisiana for gun and drug offenses, according to San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Matthew Carberry.