CHP motor officer run down by intoxicated Riverside woman who fled scene – Driver later arrested
RIVERSIDE, Calif., — Authorities say a woman who fled the scene after hitting a California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer in Riverside was later arrested after witnesses helped officials track the alleged drunk driver down early yesterday morning, Monday, May 9.
In addition to the hit and run causing injury allegation the woman was found to be driving while intoxicated and faces DUI charges related to the collision, which occurred at the intersection of Adams Street at Indiana Avenue.
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At around 4:53 a.m., a CHP motor officer was stopped when he was struck by a dark blue 2005 Hyundai Elantra. The impact ejected the officer onto the roadway, causing him to sustain moderate injuries.
The driver of the Hyundai, later identified as Heather Fernandez, 26, of Riverside, fled the scene after the collision without stopping, attempting to render aid, or calling 911 to report the collision.
Other motorists who witnessed the hit and run collision began following the fleeing driver and called 911 to report the incident.
While witnesses were following Fernandez, they began relaying the fleeing woman’s location to responding officers, who quickly located the Hyundai on Lincoln Avenue at Tropicana Avenue. Once stopped, they detained Fernandez without further incident.
After Fernandez failed a series of field sobriety tests she was determined to be intoxicated and officers arrested her at the scene.
The motor officer was transported to a local hospital for medical treatment and was suspected to have sustained moderate injuries. He is expected to survive.
Fernandez was later booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury and hit and run causing injury, both felonies.
Online jail records indicate she remains in custody in lieu of $50,000 bail or bond and is scheduled to be arraigned at the Riverside Hall of Justice on May 11.
This collision investigation and arrest are being handled by the Riverside Police Department and their investigation is continuing.
Anyone with additional information should contact Riverside Police Traffic Detective Greg Matthews at (951) 826-8724 or [email protected]. Callers can refer to incident file number 220012630 and can remain anonymous.
Contact the writer: [email protected]
Trevor Montgomery, 51, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and operates Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS). Both are stringer organizations, providing breaking news coverage and community interest stories for other mainstream media organizations throughout the two regions they serve.
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
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 30 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 18 grandchildren.