LOS ANGELES, CA – Two bicyclists were killed and two others were injured when a car struck a group of about 30 riders on a Halloween bike ride in Montclair on Saturday night, and a 38-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of DUI and felony hit-and-run, according to the Montclair Police Department.
The crash was reported at about 10:39 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at Kingsley Street and Tudor Avenue, police said. The riders were heading east on Kingsley Street when a westbound 2021 Honda Accord hit several of them.
Police said the ride was self-coordinated and was not sponsored, organized or affiliated with the City of Montclair.
The driver, identified as Valentin Alberto Rodriguez of Montclair, was arrested at about 2:40 a.m. Sunday and booked at West Valley Detention Center, police said.
Riders struck on Kingsley Street
According to the Montclair Police Department, about 30 bicyclists were taking part in the Halloween ride when the Honda Accord, traveling in the opposite direction, struck several of the cyclists.
Kingsley Street and Tudor Avenue is in Montclair, in San Bernardino County. Police did not describe how the car came to hit the riders or what happened in the moments before the collision.
According to initial reports, the driver left the scene after the crash. The same reports say one of the victims was dragged more than a mile before being dislodged in a residential neighborhood.
Two riders die of their injuries
A 25-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene at about 10:44 p.m., five minutes after the crash was reported, police said.
A 30-year-old woman was taken to a hospital, where she died at about 1:19 a.m. Sunday, according to police.
Authorities had not publicly identified either of the two people who died as of Monday. The San Bernardino County Coroner’s identifications were not available.
Two other cyclists hurt
A third rider was hospitalized with major injuries. Police said that rider was in stable condition.
A fourth bicyclist had a minor laceration to the head and declined further medical treatment, according to the department.
Driver found at home and arrested
Officers located Rodriguez, 38, at his home in Montclair, about a mile from the crash scene, police said. He was taken into custody at about 2:40 a.m. Sunday, roughly four hours after the collision.
He was booked at the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of DUI causing injury or death and of driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or higher causing injury or death.
He was also booked on suspicion of felony hit-and-run involving death or serious injury and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
An arrest is not a conviction, and the allegations remain subject to the criminal court process. The booking charges are the ones police listed at the time of the arrest.
Ride was not city-sponsored
Police said witnesses described the event as a self-coordinated Halloween ride. The department stated that the gathering was not sponsored, organized or affiliated with the City of Montclair.
The department did not release the route of the ride or say where it began.
County traffic-safety figures
The California Office of Traffic Safety’s 2022 ranking page for San Bernardino County lists 317 bicyclist victims killed and injured in the county that year, placing it 32nd among 58 counties.
The same page lists 1,920 alcohol-involved victims killed and injured in San Bernardino County in 2022, ranking the county 42nd of 58.
Police ask for tips
Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the Montclair Police Department at 909-621-4771. Anonymous tips can be given to WeTip at 800-78-CRIME.
Investigation remains active
Montclair police said the investigation is ongoing. As of Monday, Oct. 26, no charging announcement from the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office had been issued in connection with Rodriguez’s arrest.
