Arrest made in connection with hit-and-run that killed pregnant mother of 8 and her unborn child
A 31-year-old woman accused of fatally striking a pregnant woman with her car in San Bernardino then fleeing the scene has been arrested, police said.
Mercedes Vanesa Guevara, 31, was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter Monday in connection with a crash last week at Highland Avenue and Medical Center Drive that killed Maribel Gonzalez, 39, and her unborn child, police said.
“The suspect drove through a red light at a high rate of speed, and struck the pregnant victim in the crosswalk,” police said in a statement.
After striking Gonzalez, Guevara continued driving until the vehicle crashed into a fence and burst into flames, police said. She got out of the car and was picked up by an unidentified person, according to police.
Investigators eventually tied Guevara to the crash and arrested her Monday afternoon in Corona. She was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and is being held in lieu of $200,000 bail, jail records show.
Gonzalez has eight children and was nine months’ pregnant with a boy and just feet away from the curb when she was hit, KTLA reported.
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