Man suspected in hit-run crash that killed child is arrested

A man was arrested in connection with a solo crash that killed a 9-year-old girl and critically injured four other people near Concord last weekend, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Jesus Ivan Dorantes, 22, was arrested Wednesday afternoon and booked into the Martinez Detention Facility on suspicion of manslaughter, felony hit-andrun and child abuse, authorities said. His bail is set at $200,000.

The crash occurred about 5:14 a.m. Sunday on northbound Interstate 680 at the Highway 242 split near Concord, authorities previously said. The car, a gray Mazda CX-9, was traveling north when the driver veered off the road, and the vehicle flipped over several times before landing on its roof, investigators said following the incident.

Dorantes fled after the crash. His relationship to the passengers in the vehicle is unknown.

During the crash, the occupants were ejected from the car. Four female passengers were taken to a hospital with major injuries and the 9-year-old girl, identified as Danna Hernandez Tapia by Bridgeport Elementary School (Oregon) officials, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the CHP. School officials added that Tapia’s mother and sister were two of the other passengers with her in the car.

As of Monday night, the passengers were in stable condition and expected to survive, the CHP said.

This is heartbreaking news for our community,” Bridgeport Elementary School officials said in a statement to school families. “We know it will take time to heal from this, but we are certain we will get through it together. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to the Hernandez Tapia family.”

Investigators said they believed most of the passengers were not wearing seat belts.