Two people were killed and several others injured late Saturday night when an alleged drunk driver plowed into a large group of bicyclists in Montclair, California, before fleeing the scene, according to local authorities.
The tragedy unfolded at approximately 10:30 p.m. along Kingsley Street. Police reported that a group of roughly 30 bicyclists was participating in a self-coordinated Halloween ride heading eastbound when a westbound vehicle crossed paths with them, striking multiple riders.
One bicyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. Police confirmed that a second victim, a woman, later succumbed to her injuries at a local hospital.
Residents living along the street described a chaotic and devastating aftermath. Sarahi Palacio, a local resident who was outside unloading groceries when the crash occurred yards away, recalled hearing screams immediately following the impact. “We’ve seen a whole bunch of bicyclists coming over here, and then we heard screaming and we ran to the scene,” Palacio said. “There was a woman on the floor, she was hyperventilating, she was on the ground, she had a head injury.”
In the immediate wake of the crash, local residents stepped in to assist authorities and track down the suspect. Surveillance video reviewed from the area captured the suspect’s vehicle speeding away from the site of the collision. Another resident recounted hearing the vehicle accelerate away after bystanders attempted to intervene. “They yelled at him to stop, and once he was in front of my house, he just sped up even faster. You can hear the engine speeding up even harder,” the resident said.
Determined to prevent the driver from escaping accountability, the neighbor took matters into his own hands by pursuing the fleeing car in his personal vehicle. “The bicyclists say ‘get the guy, get the guy,’ so then I got in my car and I chased him down almost towards Pomona,” the resident explained. “Then I waved down a police officer and asked him to follow me.”
Explaining his decision to intervene, the resident pointed to the safety of his local community. “It’s my street. I live here, and I had my son, he’s going to grow up here. I just moved here recently and I’ve seen accidents happen.”
Montclair police officers subsequently located the suspect at his residence near the collision scene. Authorities identified him as 38-year-old Valentin Alberto Rodriguez of Montclair. Rodriguez was taken into custody and booked at the West Valley Detention Center.
Police stated that Rodriguez faces multiple serious charges, including driving under the influence and causing injury or death, driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher and causing injury or death, and felony hit-and-run involving death or permanent, serious injury. Investigation into the incident remains ongoing as authorities review evidence gathered from the scene and witness accounts.
