A man has been convicted of fatally striking a pedestrian nearly four years ago in Logan Heights, then fleeing the scene.
Gustavo Reyes, 42, was found guilty by a San Diego jury this week of hit-and-run causing death for striking 52-year-old Maria Estrada Romero on the morning of Nov. 15, 2019.
Romero, known by some locals as the “Tamale Lady” for the food she would make and sell in the community, was walking in a crosswalk at Kearney Avenue and Cesar E. Chavez Parkway when she was struck.
Prosecutors say Reyes was behind the wheel of a Ford F-150 that hit Romero, then drove off.
The victim was hospitalized and taken off life support four days later.
According to Deputy District Attorney Hailey Williams, Reyes’ truck was driven across the border into Mexico less than a day after Romero was struck.
The prosecutor said cell phone evidence showed Reyes’ phone was at the intersection of Kearney Avenue and Cesar E. Chavez Parkway when the fatal hit-and-run occurred.
An anonymous tip led to his arrest in April of 2022 at a business at South 28th Street and National Avenue, less than a mile from the crime scene.
City News Service contributed to this article.