Two different drivers are scheduled to be in court Monday after their arrests on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter in the death of a 9-year-old boy in Orange who was run down and killed despite the fact that he was crossing a street properly, obeying a “walk” signal.
But there was only sketchy information provided initially by authorities about the reason two drivers were in custody and whether both of their vehicles may have been involved in the child’s death.
Miguel Villa Gomez, 26, and Jerro Roderick, 51, were booked,
with Roderick additionally booked on suspicion of hit-and-run resulting in
death, according to Orange police Lt. Fred Lopez.
Jesse Rosales of Orange was struck about 9:30 p.m. Thursday as he was
crossing west to east on Glassell Street at Wilson Avenue alongside his teenage
sister, who managed to get out of the way, Lopez said.
The siblings had the right of way as the light showed a “walk” signal,
Lopez said.
“At the same time, (the motorists) had a solid red light,” he said,
alleging that the two northbound vehicles driven by Gomez and Roderick kept
going after the collision.
The boy and his sister, who turned 15 Friday, had been returning home
from a store. Their family had moved to the area from another part of Orange
County less than a week ago, according to broadcast reports.
At least two witnesses saw the collision, Lopez said. Police were
working to obtain surveillance video from area businesses to determine if one
or both vehicles struck the boy, Lopez said.
Lopez was unable to explain why only one, not both drivers, were suspected of hit-and-run.
The men were apprehended a short time later when their vehicles collided
at Glassell and Taft Avenue, Lopez said. They were both turning west at the
time, he said.
Bail for Roderick was set at $200,000 and Villa Gomez’s at $100,000,
according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
Both men were due in court on Monday, sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Hallock said.
— City News Service