The Los Angeles Police Department has identified a 28-year-old man as the suspect in a Playa del Rey hit-and-run collision that killed a 1-year-old boy and his uncle last week.
The department has identified the suspect as Moises Santiago Rodriguez Leiva of Canyon Country. Arrest records show he was booked on a misdemeanor charge and is being held on $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 traffic collision in Playa del Rey on May 3 — 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 Osvaldo Sandoval.
The LAPD said in a written statement that the crash happened at 4:34 a.m. when the driver of a white Jeep Cherokee going 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 person in the BMW dead at the scene and took three others to the hospital – including the child, who later died.
“The driver of the white Jeep Cherokee abandoned the vehicle at the scene and fled the scene on foot without stopping to identify himself or render aid as required by law,” the statement said.
Police said Leiva was arrested three days later.
The crash occurred more than three months after she was arrested in connection with a June 18 DUI case, according to court records, where she is sometimes identified as Rodriguezleva. Prosecutors charged him in January with four misdemeanor charges, including driving under the influence and driving with a suspended or revoked license. They alleged that he also refused to submit to a blood or urine test as part of the sobriety test.
According to court records, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest on January 20 after he failed to appear at his arraignment.
However, prior to that case, Leiva had another warrant for his arrest in connection with a July 2024 DUI case. That year, Leiva was charged with several misdemeanor counts, including driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol concentration greater than 0.8% and causing bodily injury, as well as hit-and-run.
Records show Leiva was officially charged in October 2024 and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Records show Leiva has been attending court hearings on that case, including a November 2024 hearing, where he met with an immigration attorney. His immigration status is unknown.
When he did not appear for a hearing in January 2025, a Superior Court judge issued a bench warrant for his arrest, according to court records.
It is unclear whether Leiva was held on that bench warrant when he was arrested on June 18.
Leiva’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
Court records show Leiva was arraigned Monday on a June 18 DUI case and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
He has now been charged with additional charges in connection with the fatal collision in Playa del Rey.
