In a fraught San Diego courtroom, Margarito Angeles Vargas, 47, was handed a stark sentence for the DUI hit-and-run that claimed the life of a 19-month-old toddler. Per the San Diego County District Attorney's office, on top of a 15 years-to-life prison term, Judge Amador imposed an additional four years for fleeing the scene after the deadly September incident.
Angeles Vargas, who had a previous DUI conviction from 2016, fatally struck the child on a residential street in City Heights while leaving a baby shower. He ran a stop sign, narrowly missed a parked truck, and continued to drive, hitting the toddler as her family crossed in an unmarked crosswalk. It was stated by the District Attorney's office that Angeles Vargas was driving with blood-alcohol level more than double the legal limit.
The collision, which occurred in broad daylight, was recorded by nearby surveillance but failed to clearly identify the driver or his vehicle's license plate. However, thanks to a witness who pursued Angeles Vargas, captured cell phone video and relayed the crucial license plate information to authorities, the perpetrator was later located and arrested.
During a press release, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan expressed the heinous nature of the crime, noting, "DUI and drugged drivers have taken so many innocent lives this year and while every loss is devastating, the senseless DUI murder of a 1-year-old child is beyond deplorable." She further added, "the senseless DUI murder of a 1-year-old child is beyond deplorable" and credited the good Samaritan's video for helping to bring the defendant to justice.
As a repeat offender, Angeles Vargas had signed a Watson advisement, which acknowledges the fatal risks of DUI, preventing him from claiming ignorance in any subsequent DUI incidents leading to injury or death. This enabled the court to convict him of second-degree murder in this event, as reported by Deputy District Attorney Hailey Williams, who prosecuted the case.
