Suspect in Temecula drunken hit-and-run arrested

Police arrested a 36-year-old man on suspicion of driving under the influence and causing a crash that injured four people before fleeing the scene.

May 27, 2024, 10:20 p.m. PDT

TEMECULA, Calif. — A 36-year-old man was arrested for a suspected hit-and-run and driving under the influence that left four people with moderate to serious injuries in Temecula, authorities said Monday.

Matthew Thomas Jackson of Temecula was booked into the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta with bail set at $500,000.

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The crash was reported at 7:02 p.m. Sunday at the intersection of Butterfield Stage Road and Channel Street, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies from the Southwest Sheriff's Station responded to a call of a traffic collision. Multiple witnesses told police about a driver leaving the scene on foot and the direction in which he was traveling.

According to the Sheriff's Department, a vehicle traveling southbound on Butterfield Stage Road entered an intersection on a red light while other vehicles entered the intersection on a green light westbound on Channel Street, causing a collision between four vehicles.

One person had to be extricated from their vehicle and the occupants of the other vehicles were transported to nearby hospitals, according to authorities.

Butterfield Stage Road, near Channel Street, was closed to collect evidence.

Anyone with information about the collision was asked to contact Corporal Downs of the Southwest Station at 951-696-3000.

City press service