Temecula man re-arrested in Los Angeles eight months after deadly hit-and-run crash
More than eight months after a child was killed in a violent hit-and-run crash in Temecula, authorities have finally re-arrested the suspect.
The crash happened back on May 26, 2024 at around 7 p.m., when deputies were dispatched to the intersection of Butterfield Stage Road and Channel Street, according to a statement from the Riverside County Sheriff's Office at the time.
Upon arrival, they found the violent wreckage left behind by the crash, which involved four cars and left seven people with injuries. Four of those victims were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment, where one, only identified as a boy, later died.
"Preliminary findings revealed the vehicle traveling southbound on Butterfield Stage Road entered the intersection against a red signal, as the other vehicle entered the intersection on a green signal traveling westbound on Channel Street," the RSO statement from May 2024 said.
Deputies say that the driver, who has since been identified as 36-year-old Temecula man Matthew Thomas Jackson, had fled from the scene before they arrived. They were able to locate him after receiving information from witnesses and he was booked on suspicion of both hit and run and driving under the influence.
He was later released from custody after posting bail.
Two weeks later, however, the boy succumbed to his injuries sustained in the crash, elevating the potential charges that Thomas faced. After months of review by the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, additional charges — including murder — were filed on Dec. 30, 2024.
At that time, a warrant for his arrest was issued.
On Jan. 17, Southwest Station Traffic Team and Southwest Station Robbery and Burglary Suppression Team deputies tasked with finding Jackson successfully located him at an address in the 8000 block of Venice Boulevard in Los Angeles.
He was again taken into custody without incident before being transported back to the Cois Byrd Detention Center. He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail, according to jail records.