Temecula woman arrested for deadly Menifee pursuit crash that killed 13-year-old

A 21-year-old woman was arrested after allegedly killing a teenager in a hit-and-run crash during a police pursuit in Riverside County, according to police.

The Menifee Police Department said the officers responded to reports of a burglary in progress at about 4:54 p.m. in the 27000 block of Hemingway Court. Upon police arrival, the suspect was spotted fleeing the scene in a vehicle. When an officer attempted to stop her, she continued to flee.

That led officers on a brief pursuit of the woman. At one point, she was traveling westbound on Holland Avenue at a high rate of speed when she ran a red light at the intersection with Evans Road. At the intersection, she hit a boy who was riding an e-bike northbound on Evans.

The boy, identified as 13-year-old Menifee resident Cody Villatoro, was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The woman continued to flee even after the collision. Eventually, her vehicle became disabled, and she was taken into custody.

She was identified as Melody Valdez of Temecula. She was booked into Cois M. Byrd Detention Center on suspicion of evading police and homicide, among other charges.

"At the end of the day, this driver chose not to stop when an officer turned their lights on and tried to stop them," said Menifee Police Chief David Gutierrez. "We're going to do everything possible to make sure that justice is brought for the family."

An investigation remains underway. No additional details were immediately made available.

Family members have started a GoFundMe for Villatoro, which can be found by searching for the keywords: "Honor Cody Valentino Garcia Villatoro's Memory."