A 19-year-old motorist accused of killing a man and injuring three others in a wreck stemming from drugged driving in downtown Riverside was charged Friday with second-degree murder and other offenses.
Isaac Isaiah Villalba of Redlands was arrested Wednesday night after allegedly causing the multi-vehicle collision at the intersection of Market and Fifth streets.
Along with murder, Villalba is charged with three counts of driving under the influence of drugs resulting in injuries and one count each of hit-and-run causing death and resisting arrest, as well as sentence-enhancing great bodily injury allegations.
Villalba, who is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail, was slated to make his initial court appearance Friday afternoon at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
Riverside Police Department Sgt. Emilio Angulo said the defendant was at the wheel of a Dodge Challenger going southbound on Market at a “high rate of speed” when he slammed into the rear of a slower moving Honda Civic, pushing the sedan into northbound lanes.
“The Honda collided head-on with a vehicle traveling northbound on Market,” Angulo said. “The Dodge continued and collided with another vehicle as it came to rest.”
Officer Ryan Railsback said that Villalba attempted to flee the scene “and resisted officers with violence before being safely taken into custody.”
Christian Barragan, 37, of Riverside, who had been driving the Honda, was taken to Riverside Community Hospital in grave condition. He succumbed to his injuries less than an hour alter.
Villalba, two other motorists and a passenger involved in the wreck suffered minor to moderate injuries and were taken to the same hospital for treatment. The defendant was cleared for booking into jail later that night. The other parties hospitalized, whose identities were not disclosed, were expected to recover.
The intersection was completely shut down by the police department’s Major Accident Investigation Team for several hours while a preliminary investigation was conducted and the wreckage was cleared.
Villalba has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.