Oceanside Man Charged in Riverside Crash that Injured Girl, 4

An Oceanside man accused of severely injuring a 4-year- old girl in a crash at a Riverside intersection that occurred while the defendant was allegedly racing another driver was charged Monday with hit-and- run resulting in great bodily injury and other felonies.

Ricardo Mojica Gamez, 20, was arrested Thursday after an investigation revealed he was allegedly at the wheel of a Ford Mustang that plowed into a car at Magnolia Avenue and Nelson Street.

In addition to the hit-and-run count, Gamez is charged with street racing, filing a false police report, being an unlicensed operator of a motor vehicle and sentence-enhancing allegations of fleeing the scene of a crash and using a deadly weapon -- a car -- during a speed contest.

The defendant, who ws being held in lieu of $65,000 bail at the Smith Correctional Facility in Banning, ws slated to make his initial court appearance this afternoon at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

Shortly before 2 p.m. on April 22, Gamez allegedly engaged in a street race with the driver of another sports car traveling north on Magnolia. As the two cars approached Nelson, a Chevrolet Malibu pulled onto the roadway, directly in front of the defendant's Mustang, said Sgt. Skip Showalter.

The Mustang broadsided the Malibu, occupied by a man, his wife and the couple's 4-year-old child, he said.

The girl was seriously injured in the collision, but the parents walked away largely unscathed, Showalter said.

Gamez bailed out of his disabled car and briefly looked over the victims before fleeing the scene on foot, the sergeant alleged.  The driver of the other vehicle involved in the alleged race never stopped.

The child was transported to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where she continues to receive treatment for her injuries, according to Showalter.

He said Gamez was identified as the owner of the Mustang, but when contacted by police, the defendant initially claimed the car had been stolen from his residence that day.

Further inquiries disproved the story, however, and Gamez was arrested without incident with the help of Oceanside police, according to Showalter.

—City News Service