Woman dies, son injured after man allegedly drives over their tent in Modesto alley
A Merced man is accused of killing a woman and injuring her son when he intentionally drove over their tent in west Modesto early Wednesday morning, police said.
The incident occurred shortly after midnight in the alley behind A&M Market on Maze Boulevard and Martin Luther King Drive.
Modesto Police spokeswoman Sharon Bear said the suspect, 39-year-old Cruz Diaz, had been in an argument with the woman’s 30-year-old son. She didn’t have information about what the argument was about but said it doesn’t appear the two men knew each other.
Within minutes of the verbal confrontation ending, Bear said the mother and son, who are believed to be transient, were inside a tent in the alley when the suspect got inside a gold sedan and drove through the alley.
“Through the investigation we were able to determine the responsible intentionally ran over the victims while they were in their tent,” according to a press release.
Modesto Police officers were first on scene and found the woman unresponsive. They started CPR until an ambulance arrived.
Both the woman and her son, who’d sustained moderate injuries, were taken to a hospital. The woman was pronounced dead at the hospital.
After getting a description of the suspect’s vehicle, a Modesto Police cadet located it nearby. Officers responded to the scene and arrested Diaz.
He was booked on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. He has not yet been formally charged and is being held without bail.
Anyone with information about the homicide or who witnessed the incident is asked to contact Detective Greg Booza at Boozag@modestopd.com or Crime Stoppers at 209-521-4636.
This story was originally published June 23, 2021 at 9:44 AM.
