Left inset: Alexis Eduardo Ibarra-Guerrero (KOLD/YouTube). Right inset: Sally Alcaraz Rodriguez (Facebook). Background: The area where Alexis Eduardo Ibarra-Guerrero struck and killed Sally Alcaraz Rodriguez in Tucson, Ariz., last year (KOLD/YouTube).
An 18-year-old from Arizona is facing a prison sentence of under three years after being involved in a tragic hit-and-run incident that claimed the life of a 75-year-old grandmother. Dashcam footage revealed the teenager stopping to observe the injured woman before driving away, as described by prosecutors.
Maria Rodriguez-Romero, the daughter of the victim, Sally Rodriguez, recounted the horrific event in an interview with local NBC affiliate KVOA. “She was on top of the hood of the car,” Rodriguez-Romero said, reflecting the heartbreak of losing her mother in November last year.
The incident occurred on November 3, when Alexis Eduardo Ibarra-Guerrero struck Rodriguez as she was making her way to a bus stop for work. The accident happened just two blocks from her home, and she was discovered deceased by police at the scene.
According to police reports, Ibarra-Guerrero, who was driving without a license, carried Rodriguez for several blocks on the hood of his car before she either fell off or was pushed off near the 200 block of West Tennessee Street in Tucson.
During court proceedings, a prosecutor highlighted Ibarra-Guerrero’s actions, stating, “He essentially looked at the victim… and decided to take off,” a clear indication of the gravity of his decision to flee.
Despite being in the U.S. illegally, Ibarra-Guerrero eventually turned himself in and admitted to the hit-and-run. However, he was not held accountable for the cause of Rodriguez’s death, as the collision was deemed accidental, according to local CBS affiliate KOLD. He pleaded guilty to one count of failing to remain at the scene of a fatal collision.
A Pima County judge sentenced Ibarra-Guerrero last week to 2 1/2 years behind bars, with credit for 100 days he already served, KOLD reports.
The woman’s family condemned the decision not to charge Ibarra-Guerrero for Rodriguez’s death, with her son-in-law telling KOLD in November, “I’m angry. … I’ve known people that have done less, and been charged with worse.”
Another family member told the court during Ibarra-Guerrero’s sentencing, “He needs to face the consequences that a grown man should. He messed up and now it’s time for him to face the music.”
Ibarra-Guerrero’s lawyer noted that while he accepts responsibility for fleeing, “the evidence in this case goes to show that this was an accident,” KOLD reports.
A GoFundMe launched for Rodriguez’s family describes her as a “devoted mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and a pillar of our family and community.”
Unless Ibarra-Guerrero gets deported, he will be released on supervision at the completion of his sentence.
“The choices people make have real consequences,” Rodriguez’s son-in-law said at the teen’s sentencing. “Our children, our future, must learn responsibility.”
