A woman suspected of striking a boy on a bicycle in Pacific Beach, and then running him over as she sped away, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges that include gross vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run causing death.
Tiffany Sanchez, 32, is suspected of striking and killing 6-year-old Hudson when she turned into an alley near Ingraham Street and Pacific Beach Drive on the afternoon of Jan. 17.
Hudson was crossing the alley on a bike with his parents nearby at the time he was struck. Prosecutors allege Sanchez paused for a few seconds, then accelerated southbound through the alley, running the boy over in the process. The boy was transported to a hospital, where he died.
The suspected vehicle was later found in National City, and Sanchez was taken into custody. She was initially arrested on suspicion solely of hit-and-run and was released from custody on $50,000 bail, but with the added charge of gross vehicular manslaughter, Superior Court Judge Steven Stone granted a request from the prosecution to increase bail to $150,000 and remanded Sanchez into custody.
If she makes bail, she is prohibited from driving and will have to be monitored by GPS.
According to McWilliams, Sanchez was not driving with a valid license at the time of the fatality, as her driver’s license has been suspended since 2017.
Along with the felony counts of manslaughter and hit-and-run, Sanchez is charged with an infraction for driving without a license. She faces up to six years in state prison if convicted of all counts.
Friends and family have identified the 6-year-old boy who was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Pacific Beach. NBC 7’s Jeanette Quezada spoke with community members who have been showing their love and support through a growing memorial.
Andre Bollinger, an attorney representing the boy’s parents in a potential pending civil matter, said his firm is investigating where fault might lie, including potentially with others besides Sanchez.
Bollinger said they understand Sanchez was not the owner of the vehicle and that the roadway where the fatality occurred is unsafe, leading to numerous other accidents in the past.
Bollinger told reporters the family is “devastated,” but said they were glad the criminal process has begun.
“We’re heartened to see that the District Attorney’s Office has brought a charge of gross vehicular manslaughter against Ms. Sanchez,” the attorney said.
An online family fundraiser describes Hudson as a bright and curious child who attended school in North Park, loved science, and whose contagious energy and spirit lit every room, adding that he had a passion for BMX, cycling, swimming, and building with Legos, and that he brought so much joy, kindness, and wonder to everyone he met. Hudson was a first-grader at McKinley Elementary School in North Park.
The alley where 6-year-old Hudson died is in the heart of a residential Pacific Beach neighborhood known as North Crown Point. There’s an elementary school nearby, and neighbors told NBC 7’s M.G. Perez that the area is dangerous because of speeding drivers.
Some nearby residents say the area near Ingraham and Pacific Beach Drive are high-capacity roads and urged the city to add precautions to protect pedestrians and cyclists.
“They just need to have more stop signs, lights, warning signs, flashing lights, I mean anything that we could do,” Courtney Rogers said.
According to Circulate San Diego, a nonprofit organization that helps local governments to improve traffic flow and safety on streets across the county, 146 people have been killed in traffic accidents on the streets of San Diego in the past two years.
Police ask that anyone with information related to the incident call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.