In a tragic sequence of events, a police officer in Rialto unknowingly drove over the body of a man who had just been killed in a hit-and-run incident. The incident occurred on the morning of Sunday, August 13, when an officer drove over an object in the roadway of the 800 block of Rialto Avenue, east of Spruce Street. The object turned out to be the body of 37-year-old DeAngelo Banks of Fontana, who had just been hit by at least one car and killed.
Following the incident, surveillance footage from nearby properties helped police identify a “vehicle of interest” in the collision. On Wednesday, when 23-year-old Bryan Perez climbed into that vehicle, police pulled him over. Perez was found to be unlicensed and was subsequently interviewed and arrested on suspicion of being the driver who had struck and killed Banks.
Evidence was found confirming the involvement of Perez’s 2003 Ford Explorer in the fatal hit-and-run. Perez now faces a charge of hit-and-run causing injury or death, and is being held at the West Valley Detention Center on a bail of $250,000. He is due to appear in Rancho Cucamonga Superior Court on Thursday. This troubling incident underscores the importance of responsible driving and the severe consequences of leaving the scene of an accident.