Suspect Arrested In Watsonville Fatal Hit-And-Run Collision

WATSONVILLE - A 22-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run collision early Saturday morning in Watsonville, police said late Monday.

Diego Sanchez has been arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter, hit-and-run with death or serious bodily injury and DUI causing serious bodily injury, police Sgt. Eric Montalbo said.

Also on Patch: Watsonville: One Dead, Two Injured After Suspected DUI Hit-And-Run

Officers responded to a report of a collision between two cars that resulted in injuries at Main Street and East Lake Avenue at about 12:30 a.m., police said.

It appeared a Ford truck was on northbound Main Street and a Honda Accord was on westbound East Lake Avenue prior to the collision, police said.

When officers reached the scene, they saw a man and a woman ejected from the Ford truck and suffering serious injuries, according to police.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene and the woman was airlifted to a trauma center for injuries that were considered life-threatening, according to police.

Officers looked for the Honda driver, later identified as Sanchez, and found him at his home hours later, police said. Sanchez was airlifted to a trauma center for serious injuries, then treated and booked into Santa Cruz County Jail, according to police.

Police have not released the name of the man who died or provided an update on the surviving victim’s condition as of this afternoon.

Any witnesses to the collision are asked to call Watsonville police at (831) 471-1151 or a crime tip line at (831) 728-3544.

-Bay City News, image via Watsonville PD