Suspect Arrested in Hit-Run That Killed 2, Hurt 10

A San Diego man once convicted of reckless driving was arrested Thursday in connection with a hit-run accident in which two people died and 10 others--nine of them children--were injured, a California Highway Patrol spokesman said.

Arnold Ray Bundy, 35, was arrested outside his South San Diego mobile home in the 1600 block of Palm Avenue about 1 p.m. by CHP officers. They were led to the home after a witness to the Wednesday accident on California 67 in Ramona scribbled down the license plate number of Bundy’s burnt-orange Opel Manta and gave it to authorities, CHP Officer Bob Melton said.

Bundy, whose driver’s license has been suspended since January, was booked at County Jail downtown on two counts of vehicular manslaughter and one count of felony hit-and-run driving, Melton said. Bail has been set at $55,000.

Brother, Sister Die

The Opel Manta is believed to be the car that triggered and then sped away from a three-vehicle collision that killed El Cajon landscaper Salud Delfino Aguilar, 40, and his sister, Maria Isabel Mendez, 38, about 4:20 p.m.

Aguilar’s four children and Mendez’s five were rushed to hospitals around the county. David and Maria Mendez, 10 and 12, respectively, remain at Children’s Hospital, along with Genaro Aguilar, 8.

The hospital declined to reveal their conditions.

Treated at and released from Palomar Medical Center in Escondido were Delfino Aguilar, 11; Danny Aguilar, 5; Anita Aguilar, 3, and Jose Mendez, 13.

Judy Mendez, 4, was treated at and released from Scripps Memorial Hospital-La Jolla. Lydia Mendez, 9, remains in good condition at Mercy Hospital.

Witnesses said the accident occurred when a northbound orange or rust-colored Opel Manta veered into a southbound lane, forcing a Chevrolet Blazer off the road.

A northbound Ford Astrovan driven by Aguilar plowed head-on into a Jeep Cherokee that had been following the Blazer, Melton said.

Pronounced Dead at Scene

A deputy coroner said Aguilar and Mendez, a Lemon Grove resident, were pronounced dead at the scene.

Those in the Blazer and the Cherokee escaped injury.

Although the Opel didn’t strike any of the vehicles in the accident, it was blamed for a “non-contact hit-and-run” by the CHP.

A witness trailed the Opel and wrote down its license plate number. Police went to Bundy’s home, which he shares with his mother, about 12:40 p.m. Thursday but found no one there.

Moments later, Melton said, Bundy and his mother pulled up in another car.

“They drove into the driveway, and then they put the car in reverse when they saw the officers,” Melton said. “It appeared that they were trying to leave, when the officers entered their patrol car, ready to go after them.” Bundy and his mother then got out, he said.

The Opel was found behind Bundy’s mobile home, Melton said.

Bundy was convicted of reckless driving in 1984 in Chula Vista Municipal Court, according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

His driver’s license was suspended Jan. 9 for his failure to pay some traffic tickets, and Bundy was given a second suspension Jan. 18 when he was caught driving with no proof of insurance.

Bundy’s suspension was never lifted, according to the DMV.

Employees at Aguilar’s Aztec Landscaping Co., which he ran with his brother, Ramon, described him as a hard worker and loving family man.

“He was a good man,” said Roberto Antuna, who had arrived at Aguilar’s home to trim bushes and cut grass. “I have worked for him for six years. He was an excellent boss. It hurts--it really hurts--to lose him.”