Orange County woman identified, arrested on suspicion of fatal hit-and-run in Hesperia

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
·2 min read
Driver Katrina Hernandez, 37, of Stanton was arrested, booked and released without bail after she was suspected of fatally striking pedestrian Emily Castaneda, 29, and critically injuring a man who was with her.
Driver Katrina Hernandez, 37, of Stanton was arrested, booked and released without bail after she was suspected of fatally striking pedestrian Emily Castaneda, 29, and critically injuring a man who was with her.

An Orange County woman was released on bail days after being arrested on suspicion of a fatal pedestrian hit-and-run collision in Hesperia, which also left a man suffering from critical injuries.

Katrina Hernandez, 37, was arrested on June 15 in the 12900 block of Beach Boulevard in Stanton for the suspected hit-and-run death of Emily Castaneda, 29, which occurred on June 12, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s officials reported.

Hernandez was booked at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga and released on June 16. No court date has been scheduled, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

The Hesperia Sheriff’s Station reported that at approximately 4:15 a.m. on June 12, deputies and the SBC Fire Department responded to a traffic collision on Cottonwood Avenue, north of Sycamore Street.

The scene of the collision is a residential neighborhood just south of Bear Valley Road.

Upon arrival, deputies discovered that a driver, later identified as Hernandez, was traveling south on Cottonwood Avenue when a woman, later identified as Castaneda, had fallen onto the roadway.

During that time, a 32-year-old man attempted to assist Castaneda when they were both struck by a vehicle in the southbound lane of Cottonwood Avenue, sheriff’s officials reported.

After following leads, sheriff’s investigators identified Hernandez as the driver of a red 2019 Chevrolet Trax who allegedly struck the couple and then fled southbound on Cottonwood Avenue.

Despite life-saving measures, emergency personnel pronounced Castaneda deceased at the scene.

The male pedestrian was transported to a trauma center where he remains in critical condition.

At this time, it has not been determined if drugs and/or alcohol were a factor in the collision.

Cottonwood Avenue, from Sycamore Street to Sequoia Street, was closed for several hours while deputies from the Hesperia Major Accident Investigation Team processed the scene.

Anyone with information, or anyone who may have witnessed the collision is asked by the Sheriff’s Department to contact Deputy F. Zavala or Sergeant Brendan Motley at the Hesperia Sheriff's Station.

Those wishing to remain anonymous may call We-Tip at 1-800-78-crime or online at www.wetip.com

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Driver arrested on suspicion of fatal hit-and-run in Hesperia