Man who fled to Mexico after crash that killed three-year-old nabbed at the San Ysidro point of entry

SALINAS, CA- On July 26, a three-year-old child was involved in a collision in this Monterey suburb located in northern California where an adult in the same car suffered non-life-threatening injuries, KTVU-2 reported. Last week, the person who caused the accident and fled the scene turned himself in to federal agents at the US-Mexico border. 

Ricardo Archundia Cruz, 20, turned himself in to U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents this past weekend at the San Ysidro point of entry. Salinas police officers responded to that location and took Cruz into custody and then transported him to Salinas where he was booked into the Monterey County Jail. Cruz’s immigration status is unknown. 

SFGATE reported that police had been seeking Cruz since the date of the accident and learned he had fled to Mexico, where he contacted family and friends. They convinced him to return to the United States and turn himself in, Salinas police said. 

Immediately after the crash, police zeroed in on Cruz and realized he may have fled to Mexico. 

“He had a significant jump on us, and unfortunately did make it into Mexico,” acting Salinas police chief John Murray said. “He had about a 12-hour jump on us by the time we recognized he was a primary suspect,” he told KSBW-News. 

“We even sent detectives down to the southern border. He made it across the border,” Murray said shortly after the crash. 

Cruz does not have a license and was driving a red Hyundai belonging to a family member at the time of the crash. It was later found abandoned at an apartment complex in East Salinas. 

This isn’t Cruz’s first brush with the law. He was stopped earlier this year by the California Highway Patrol for speeding in excess of 100 miles per hour. Police said he shouldn’t have been behind the wheel of a car after the previous stop he escaped punishment at that time.