Last Updated on February 20, 2019 by CCAR Staff
A 14-year-old boy died Monday night, Feb. 18, after being struck by an SUV in Moreno Valley on Saturday, a collision that landed the alleged driver in jail after authorities said he sped away.
Darion Coleman had been on life support since the crash after suffering critical head injuries. The Riverside County Coroner’s Office on Wednesday said Darion died at 10:28 p.m. Family members and friends held a candlelight vigil for him Tuesday
Eleazar Arevalo Garcia, 33, of Moreno Valley, was arrested at 6:15 p.m. Monday, before Darion died, and booked into Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside on suspicion of hit-and-run resulting in great bodily injury, according to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. Bail was set at $25,000.
Garcia had not been charged as of Wednesday night.
“(The) case is under review. No filing decision has been made at this time,” District Attorney’s Office spokesman John Hall said.
Darion was walking in the 22600 block of Cottonwood Avenue, near Ellsworth Street about 6:30 p.m. Saturday when he was struck by an SUV that failed to stop as required by law, said sheriff’s Sgt. Brian De Marco.
Darion was taken to Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley.
Pieces of the vehicle were left behind in the roadway, and that evidence, as well as other clues, culminated with Garcia’s arrest on Monday night, De Marco said.
14 year old boy killed in a hit and run crash. A suspect has now been arrested as family members prepare for a somber candlelight vigil tonight. We hear their heartache 4 the first time on #NBC4 @NBCLA pic.twitter.com/XtOdiSI0hR
— Tony Shin (@TonyNBCLA) February 20, 2019
A search warrant was served at a property in the 13400 block of Moreno Way, where the suspect’s 2000 Cadillac Escalade was found to have front-end damage allegedly resulting from the hit-and-run, according to De Marco, who said the vehicle was seized.
