SAN DIEGO — A San Diego man will stand trial for a collision that killed a toddler last summer.
Forty-six-year-old Margarito Angeles Vargas is charged with murder, DUI and hit-and-run, accused of killing one-year-old Annalee Rodarte in a collision that happened in the evening of September 24 in City Heights.
Family members told FOX 5 Annalee followed siblings as they ran from their grandmother’s home through an alley into the street.
Prosecutors say Vargas was speeding in an SUV down Redwood Street when he hit the little girl, then drove off, leaving her dying on the ground. She had a traumatic brain injury and later died at the hospital.
Home surveillance video captured the SUV as it went down the street.
One of the most compelling pieces of evidence is from a neighbor who said he was working on his car in his driveway and saw the collision. He then jumped in his car and chased after the driver and started recording video on his cell phone. Moments later, he spotted the suspect SUV parked in the street.
Prosecutors say Vargas stopped to buy a snack. The neighbor jumped out to confront the driver.
In the video, the neighbor tells the suspect he hit a girl — then the driver tells the man he’s crazy and drives off.
The neighbor lost sight of the SUV but gave police the license plate number.
Officers then went to a home in the Skyline area where they say Vargas later arrived.
San Diego Police Officer Christopher Lingenhol gave testimony on Vargas’ condition.
“He was unsteady — whether he’s walking backwards or forwards — he was kind of swaying from side to side, looked like he was ready to fall at anytime,” Lingenhol testified.
Police also testified open beer containers were found in the suspect’s SUV.
Prosecutors say Vargas’ blood-alcohol level was tested at .233 and again later at .246 — about three times the legal limit.
Vargas was also driving while having a suspended license from a DUI conviction in 2016.
Vargas’ next court appearance is scheduled for May 18. He faces 15 years to life in prison, if convicted.
