Truck Driver Accused Of Fatally Rear-Ending Palm Desert​ Motorcyclist​

PALM DESERT, CA — A pickup truck driver accused of killing a 31-year-old motorcyclist in Cathedral City was arrested Wednesday.

The crash was reported shortly before noon on Nov. 28 at Cathedral Canyon and East Palm Canyon drives, according to a Cathedral City Police Department statement.

Palm Desert resident Nicholas Griego, a community service officer, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the department. Police said the driver, identified as 25-year-old Juliana Granados, stayed at the scene and cooperated with authorities.

CCPD Traffic Bureau investigators presented their case to the Riverside County District Attorney's Office on Tuesday. The results of the investigation alleged that Granados was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision and had rear-ended Griego's motorcycle, investigators said.

Granados was arrested on suspicion of murder and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated shortly before 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to the statement. Inmate records indicate she was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center in Indio on $1 million bail.

— City News Service