A man who was allegedly driving a pickup truck that struck and killed a 59-year-old woman and her year-old granddaughter last week in San Gabriel was charged Thursday with hit-and-run driving and vehicular manslaughter.
Dennis Anthony Perez, 48, of San Gabriel, pleaded not guilty to one felony count of hit-and-run driving resulting in death to another person and two misdemeanor counts of vehicular manslaughter, along with an allegation of fleeing the scene after vehicular manslaughter, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Meiyu Li was pushing a stroller carrying Paisley Chen in a crosswalk at the intersection of Del Mar Avenue and Live Oak Street when they were struck about 9:30 p.m. Friday by a silver pickup truck that sped away, according to police.
Paramedics rushed the San Gabriel residents to Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, but doctors were unable to save them.
An anonymous tip led detectives to the suspect vehicle and ultimately to Perez, according to San Gabriel Police Department Capt. Fabian Valdez.
When officers located the vehicle, it matched one in a video submitted by a witness, police said.
“Using information provided by the family, officers later arrested Perez after he was discharged from a local medical facility,” San Gabriel police Public Information Officer Jonathan Fu said after Perez’s arrest Tuesday.
He is due back in an Alhambra courtroom Dec. 4, when a date is scheduled to be set to determine if there is enough evidence to allow the case against him to proceed to trial.