The Los Angeles Police Department has identified a 28-year-old man as the suspect in the Playa del Rey hit-and-run collision that killed a 1-year-old boy and his uncle last week.
The department identified the suspect as Moises Santiago Rodriguez Leiva of Canyon Country. Arrest records show he was booked for a misdemeanor and is being held on a $200,000 bond.
Investigators said they would issue a news release with more details and declined to comment further.
But court records show that — at the time of the May 3 traffic collision in Playa del Rey — Leiva already had two outstanding arrest warrants in connection with a pair of DUI cases. The crash killed 1-year-old Roger Sandoval and his uncle, 25-year-old Oswaldo Sandoval.
The LAPD said in a written statement that the crash occurred at 4:34 a.m. when the driver of a white Jeep Cherokee traveling south on Vista Del Mar crossed into the northbound lane and collided with a blue BMW 5 series.
Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics pronounced one occupant of the BMW dead at the scene and took three others to a hospital — including the toddler, who later died.
“The driver of the white Jeep Cherokee abandoned the vehicle at the scene and fled the location on foot without stopping to identify themselves or render aid as required by law,” the statement read.
Police said Leiva was arrested three days later.
The crashed happened more than three months after he was arrested in connection with a June 18 DUI case, according to court records, where he is sometimes identified as Rodriguezleiva. Prosecutors charged him in January with four misdemeanor counts, including driving under the influence and driving with a suspended or revoked license. They alleged that he also refused to take a blood or urine test as part of a sobriety test.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest on Jan. 20 after he failed to appear at his arraignment, according to court records.
Prior to that case, however, Leiva had another warrant for his arrest in connection with a July 2024 DUI case. That year, Leiva was charged with multiple misdemeanor counts including driving under the influence with a blood alcohol concentration of more than .8% and causing bodily injury, as well as hit-and-run.
Leiva was officially charged in October 2024 and pleaded not guilty to charges, records show.
Leiva was attending court hearings on that case, including one in Nov. 2024 where he met with an immigration attorney, records show. His immigration status is unknown.
When he failed to show up to a hearing in January 2025, a superior court judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest, according to court records.
It’s unclear why Leiva was not held on that bench warrant when he was arrested on June 18.
An attorney for Leiva could not immediately be reached for comment.
Court records show Leiva was arraigned Monday on that June 18 DUI case and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He now faces additional charges in connection with the Playa del Rey fatal collision.
The post Suspect in Playa del Rey crash that killed toddler was already wanted in two DUIs, records show appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
