DUI driver arrested after fatal MoVal hit and run

MORENO VALLEY — An allegedly intoxicated driver was apprehended by a good Samaritan who stopped and detained the man after he attempted to flee the scene of a fatal Moreno Valley hit and run traffic collision early this morning, Sunday, May 19.

The witness who stopped the fleeing man held him at the scene of the deadly crash, which happened at the intersection of Ironwood Ave. and Perris Blvd., until deputies arrived and took him into custody.

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Moreno Valley PD, firefighters, and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the collision shortly before 3 a.m., after receiving reports of the collision.

911 callers told emergency dispatchers that the driver who caused the collision attempted to flee the scene, but was being detained by a person who witnessed the fatal crash.

Officials arrived at the scene within minutes of the dispatched call and found a small, silver hatchback with major side-impact damage and a gold mini-van with major front-end damage.

An allegedly intoxicated driver was arrested after attempting to flee the scene of a fatal crash early this morning. RiversideMedia.911 photo

Both the driver and passenger from the silver hatchback sustained major injuries and were trapped inside the mangled wreckage of their vehicle. Firefighters quickly worked to cut the victims from the small car before both were rushed to a local hospital. 

Despite life-saving efforts, the female passenger succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased by hospital staff, according to Moreno Valley PD. The victim has not yet been publicly identified, pending further investigation and notification of her family.

The driver of the other vehicle, Raymundo Meza, 26, of Moreno Valley, was uninjured in the hit and run collision. He was arrested at the scene after deputies investigating the cause of the crash determined he was under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

According to a MVPD social media release, Meza was booked into jail for felony driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and fleeing from the collision scene with injuries.

While investigating the deadly collision, deputies called for the temporary closure of the intersection, which remained closed for several hours before being reopened around 11 a.m., according to MVPD’s release.

Moreno Valley PD’s investigation is ongoing and officials have not released any other details related to the crash.

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Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.

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