Reporting Deputy: Sergeant Marcos Acosta
File # MV233210033
Details:
On November 17, 2023, at 3:20 am, deputies from the Riverside Sheriff’s Moreno Valley Station were dispatched to the intersection of Cottonwood Avenue and Graham Street regarding a traffic collision involving a vehicle versus a pedestrian. Deputies arrived on the scene within minutes and located a victim in the roadway. Deputies learned the suspect fled the area in a vehicle and began a search. The victim, a 52-year-old resident of Hemet, was identified as an employee of the Eastern Municipal Water District and was working at the location at the time of the collision. The victim was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspect vehicle was located a short time later on Cactus Avenue east of Frederick Street, occupied by the suspect, 21-year-old Jose Andres Mateo Rodas, of Moreno Valley. The suspect vehicle, a 2000 Acura, was found to have minor damage on the hood consistent with the collision. The Moreno Valley Sheriff’s Station Traffic Collision Reconstruction Team responded to the scene and assumed the investigation. Rodas was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center on felony driving under the influence and felony hit-and-run charges.
This investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact Deputy Jason Slover of the Moreno Valley Sheriff’s Station at 951-486-6700 or the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office at 951-776-1099.
For media inquiries regarding this incident please contact the Media Information Bureau.
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