Nothing like waking up to the worst possible news.
Because once again, a motor vehicle became a weapon of mass destruction in the hands of a drunken, heartless and murderous coward.
According to a press release from the Montclair Police Department, around 30 people taking part in a “self-coordinated” Halloween ride were riding east on Kingsley Street and Tudor Ave around 10:39 last night when the group was struck head-on by a westbound driver.
The driver fled the scene, dragging one victim over a mile before dislodging their body in a residential neighborhood.
One person died at the scene, while a woman lost her life after at 1:19 am Sunday after being taken to a hospital. Two others were injured; at last report, one was in stable condition with major injuries, while a person suffered a gash to the head, but declined treatment against medical advice.
Video from the scene shows a field of mangled bicycles. Police stressed that the ride “was not sponsored, organized, or affiliated with the City of Montclair.”
The driver was identified by detectives, and 38-year old Valentin Alberto Rodriguez was arrested at his at his home around 2:40 am.
He was booked at the West Valley Detention Center on charges of:
- Vehicle Code § 23153(a): Driving under the influence and causing injury or death
- Vehicle Code § 23153(b): Driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher and causing injury or death
- Vehicle Code § 20001(b)(2): Felony hit-and-run involving death or permanent, serious injury
- Penal Code § 191.5(a): Gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated
These charges could be upgraded to murder if Rodriguez has a previous DUI. Although it should be considered murder simply for leaving one victim to die, and dragging another to their apparent death.
This is at least the 59th and 60th bicycling fatalities that I’m aware of in Southern California this year, and the third and fourth we know about in San Bernardino County
Leave a Reply