Records show the man accused in last week’s Playa del Rey hit-and-run crash was already facing two DUI-related arrest warrants at the time, after earlier court cases involving alleged intoxicated driving and missed court appearances.
A toddler and his uncle were killed in a predawn crash in Playa del Rey, and now Los Angeles investigators say the driver who fled was a man already tied to DUI cases with outstanding warrants.
The Los Angeles Police Department identified the suspect as 28-year-old Moises Santiago Rodriguez Leiva of Canyon Country in the hit-and-run collision that killed 1-year-old Roger Sandoval and his 25-year-old uncle, Oswaldo Sandoval, last week.
LAPD said the crash happened at 4:34 a.m.. May 3.. Investigators said the driver of a white Jeep Cherokee traveling south on Vista Del Mar crossed into the northbound lane and collided with a blue BMW 5 series.. Fire Department paramedics pronounced one occupant of the BMW dead at the scene and took three others to a hospital. including the toddler. who later died.
In a written statement, LAPD said the driver abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot “without stopping to identify themselves or render aid as required by law.”
Rodriguez Leiva was arrested three days later, according to the department. He is being held on a $200,000 bond and, arrest records show, was booked on a misdemeanor. Investigators said they planned a news release with more details but declined to comment further.
Court records, though, show the fatal crash occurred while Rodriguez Leiva had two outstanding arrest warrants tied to separate DUI cases.
At the time of the May 3 collision. he already had warrants connected to both a pair of DUI matters—records show they were tied to his failure to appear in court and allegations that he refused to submit to a sobriety test.. In the June 18 case. prosecutors charged him in January with four misdemeanor counts. including driving under the influence and driving with a suspended or revoked license.. Prosecutors also alleged he refused to take a blood or urine test as part of a sobriety test.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge issued a bench warrant on Jan. 20 after he failed to appear at his arraignment in that case, according to court records.
Before that, Rodriguez Leiva had another warrant connected to a DUI case from July 2024.. That year. records show he was charged with multiple misdemeanor counts. including DUI with a blood-alcohol concentration of more than 0.8% and causing bodily injury. as well as hit-and-run.. He was officially charged in October 2024 and pleaded not guilty, records show.
Court documents indicate he attended hearings in that matter, including one in November 2024 where he met with an immigration attorney. His immigration status is unknown.
It remains unclear whether he was held on the bench warrant when he was arrested in the June 18 DUI case.
When Rodriguez Leiva was arraigned Monday on the June 18 DUI case, records show he pleaded not guilty. He now faces additional charges connected to the Playa del Rey fatal collision.
An attorney for Rodriguez Leiva could not be reached for comment.
Playa del Rey hit-and-run DUI warrants LAPD Los Angeles Fire Department Moises Santiago Rodriguez Leiva Roger Sandoval Oswaldo Sandoval misdemeanor DUI bench warrant court records