HESPERIA, Calif. (VVNG.com) — A man with a previous DUI conviction is being held without bail after he was arrested in a fatal hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of a 65-year-old woman in the city of Hesperia.
It happened on January 22, 2022, at about 3:55 am, in the area of the northbound I-15 freeway and Main Street.
First responders arrived and located a 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser overturned along Mariposa Road. The female driver, a resident of Cypress, CA, was pronounced deceased at the scene at 4:20 am.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the elderly woman was driving north on the I-15 when her vehicle was rear-ended by a 2019 Dodge Ram. The impact forced the PT Cruiser to overturn off the freeway. The driver of the truck continued northbound on the freeway and fled the scene of the accident.
The driver of the Ram was identified as 30-year-old Giovanni Gutierrez of La Puente, CA, and the search to find him got underway. Approximately one hour later, the pickup truck was located abandoned about 4 miles away in the area of Balsam Avenue and Sitting Bull Street in Victorville.
Officials said Gutierrez turned himself into authorities on January 22, 2022, at approximately 6:00 am. He was interviewed and subsequently placed under arrest.
Due to Gutierrez’s previous DUI conviction, he was booked into the High Desert Detention Center (HDDC) for 187(a) PC- Murder, 20001(a) VC – Hit and Run causing serious injury or death, 23153(a) VC- Driving Under the Influence Causing Death, and 23152(b) VC-Driving Under the Influence causing serious injury or death with a Blood Alcohol Concentration of 0.08% or greater.
According to booking logs, the suspect is being held with no bail and was scheduled for a hearing on January 25th in a Victorville courtroom.
The name of the deceased driver is being withheld pending the notification of next of kin. Anyone with information is asked to call the Victorville CHP Station at 760-241-1186.
