Victim in deadly Riverbank DUI crash identified as Escalon man, Stanislaus coroner says
The man killed in a DUI crash in Riverbank on Friday night was Escalon resident Michael Knittel, 54, the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office reported.
Suspect Joshua Timothy Sanders, 30, remained in custody Monday morning, facing charges of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and DUI causing injury. Bail is set at $125,000.
Prior to the deadly crash, sheriff’s deputies had been looking for a vehicle involved in an earlier hit-and-run collision reported in the area. At about 10:20 p.m., authorities in the Sheriff’s Department helicopter Air 101 observed a pickup truck with front-end damage leaving the area of Nino’s Place, a popular Modesto bar on north McHenry Avenue.
The helicopter tracked the pickup as it traveled east toward Riverbank. Authorities observed the truck speeding on Patterson Road, according to a report from sheriff’s Sgt. Josh Clayton. The truck then ran the red light at the intersection of Patterson and Oakdale roads, striking two vehicles.
Knittel was killed, and two other people were injured and taken to the hospital, Clayton said. As of Monday morning, their identities had not been released.
Sanders was arrested at the scene by Riverbank deputies who observed signs of alcohol intoxication.
The Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team was called out to investigate the crash.
This story was originally published December 23, 2019 at 9:18 AM.
