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Cops: Drunk woman drives more than a mile after man smashes through windshield

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Los Angeles Times

A drunk driver who hit a pedestrian continued driving for more than a mile after his body flew through the windshield and landed in the passenger seat, police in southern California said.

Esteysi Sanchez, 29, was arrested on suspicion of DUI, felony hit and run and vehicular manslaughter Monday and is being held on $1.5 million bail after police said she fatally hit a man walking on the sidewalk in Oceanside, a coastal city between Los Angeles and San Diego.

The force of the collision caused the victim to smash through the windshield and come to a rest in the front passenger seat, but Sanchez continued to drive for about another mile before she pulled over and walked home, said Oceanside police spokesman Ryan Keim.

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Sanchez, an Oceanside resident, does not have a driver license, according to DMV records. She applied for one in March 2015 but the process was not completed.

Witnesses told KNSD that the man was on the sidewalk and the car jumped the curb and hit him at 6:20 a.m. Monday. They told the station that one of his legs was ripped from his body and landed on the trunk of her car, police told KNSD.

“There’s no words to really describe it. I mean, just seeing that up close and personal, it’s kind of traumatizing in a way,” witness Edwin Esparza told KNSD.

The victim, who authorities said was in his 60s, was a known transient who was going to or leaving a nearby soup kitchen, KGTV reported.

The man’s shoes, wallet, keys and ID — as well as parts of the shattered windshield — were found where he was hit. Paramedics pronounced him dead where the car was found.

Police said Sanchez was found at home about an hour later.

“Her husband or boyfriend, I’m not sure which he is, called police,” Keim said.

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