Charges pending against Glendale man for fatal hit-and-run

accident

Darleene Barrientos

Charges were pending Wednesday against a Glendale man accused of

hitting a woman near Desert Hot Springs with his sport utility

vehicle and dragging her several hundred feet while she was still

alive.

Steven K. Santos, 26, was arrested on suspicion of hitting a

42-year-old Desert Hot Springs woman on Palm Drive just north of

Interstate 10 in Riverside County, California Highway Patrol Officer

Vince Bell said. Santos was released on $50,000 bail Monday.

Santos was driving his 1994 Nissan Pathfinder about 9:30 p.m.

Sunday when he struck the woman, Bell said. The woman’s name was

withheld pending notification of her family, he said.

Witnesses told CHP officers they saw Santos and his passenger, a

26-year-old Los Angeles man whose name was not released, get out of

the car and see the woman under the car, Bell said.

After some apparent discussion, witnesses said Santos got back

into his SUV and drove away, with the woman still under his car.

Santos reportedly dragged the woman for 800 feet.

Santos was arrested about 30 minutes later on Indian Avenue, at a

nearby Denny’s Restaurant, Bell said.

The woman was reportedly still alive when paramedics began working

on her, Bell said. She was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center,

where she died about 50 minutes later.

Authorities expect to charge Santos with vehicular manslaughter,

felony hit-and-run and felony driving under the influence of alcohol.