A woman who allegedly struck and killed a 70-year-old pedestrian with her vehicle in a Chula Vista roadway, then fled the scene, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a felony count of hit-and-run causing death and a misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charge.
Monica Armenta, 46, was accused of hitting 70-year-old Ruizhi You with her vehicle at around 5:30 p.m. Jan. 11 near North Greensview Drive and Park Meadows Road. Paramedics took You to a hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries, according to the Chula Vista Police Department.
Deputy District Attorney Alex Tracosas said investigators reviewed surveillance footage from the surrounding area to ascertain that the vehicle involved was registered to Armenta, leading to her arrest two days later. Chula Vista police said part of what led to identifying the vehicle involved the use of Flock Safety automated license plate readers.
The prosecutor said that when investigators went to Armenta’s home, the vehicle was found with front-end damage consistent with striking a person.
A search of Armenta’s cell phone revealed that much of her internet search history had been deleted, save for a news article regarding the hit-and-run crash and searches regarding the potential purchase of a new vehicle, according to Tracosas…