| For Immediate Release Case # 11WF2903 May 24, 2012 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami
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MAN CONVICTED OF HIT AND RUN THAT LEFT
A MOTHER DEAD AND MAN INJURED
SANTA ANA – A man was convicted today of hit and run, which resulted in the death of a young mother and left another man injured. Jason Michael Roberts, 32, San Juan Capistrano, pleaded guilty to the court to two felony counts of hit and run with injury. He faces a maximum sentence of four years and eight months in state prison at his sentencing Aug. 3, 2012, at 9:00 a.m. in Department C-37, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana. The surviving victims and their family members are expected to make victim impacts statements.
At approximately 1:45 a.m. on July 22, 2011, four friends left the Out Of Bounds bar in Huntington Beach after celebrating victim H. Coffman’s 24th birthday. They walked across a marked crosswalk on Brookhurst Street and almost made it to the other side when Roberts drove his 1992 Toyota Camry through the crosswalk and hit 24-year-old Oriana Millan and Coffman. Roberts’ windshield shattered and caved in from the impact, leaving him with little visibility.
Bar patrons who witnessed the hit and run called 911 to report the collision. Huntington Beach Police Department (HBPD) and paramedics arrived shortly thereafter. Millan, who had a 5-year-old daughter, was pronounced dead at the scene and Coffman was transported to Hoag Hospital Newport Beach to be treated for a fractured skull and wrist.
Roberts never stopped his vehicle. The defendant drove 12 miles to Laguna Beach until his car overheated and broke down on the street due to the collision. Roberts called 911 for assistance with his vehicle. Laguna Beach Police officers responded and detained him until HBPD officers arrived to arrest him.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Troy Pino of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.
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