Police arrested a 21-year-old Temecula woman after Cody Valentino Garcia Villatoro was struck while riding an electric bicycle in Menifee.
MENIFEE, Calif. — A 13-year-old boy riding an electric bicycle was killed after police said a woman fleeing officers during a burglary investigation ran a red light and struck him at a Menifee intersection.
The Sept. 15 collision killed Cody Valentino Garcia Villatoro, a Menifee resident whose family publicly identified him after his death. Police identified the driver as Melody Valdez, 21, of Temecula. Authorities said Valdez was taken into custody after the crash and booked on multiple felony allegations, including homicide. The allegations remain subject to the criminal court process and have not been established by a conviction.
The incident began at about 4:54 p.m. when the Menifee Police Department responded to the 27000 block of Hemingway Court for a report of a burglary in progress. According to a department news release, an officer arriving at the location saw a vehicle leaving and attempted to make a traffic stop. Police said the driver did not yield, beginning what the department described as a brief pursuit.
Police said the vehicle traveled west on Holland Avenue at a high rate of speed and reached the intersection with Evans Road. Investigators said the driver failed to stop for a red traffic light and struck Cody, who was riding his electric bicycle north on Evans Road. Officers provided emergency medical aid until CAL Fire personnel arrived and continued lifesaving efforts. Cody died from his injuries.
Authorities said the vehicle continued away from the collision before becoming disabled and stopping. Police identified Valdez as the driver and sole occupant. She was arrested and initially booked at the Cois M. Byrd Detention Center. Local reporting later placed her in custody at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta. CBS Los Angeles reported that she was booked on suspicion of homicide and evading police, among other allegations.
The California Highway Patrol’s Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team was called to the scene at the request of Menifee police and assumed responsibility for investigating the fatal traffic collision. Menifee police, working with the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, are conducting the associated criminal investigation. Authorities have not publicly released a completed collision reconstruction or a final account addressing every aspect of the pursuit.
Cody’s death prompted an outpouring of grief in the Menifee community. His family remembered him in a memorial fundraiser as a kind, loving and joyful child who brought happiness to people around him. A memorial also formed near the crash scene, where friends, classmates and other community members gathered to remember the teenager. Local reporting said Menifee Valley Middle School made grief support available to students following his death.
Menifee Police Chief David Gutierrez said the driver had a responsibility to stop when an officer tried to pull her over and said investigators would work to pursue justice for Cody’s family. The department has continued to describe the criminal investigation as active and ongoing. Police have also sought surveillance recordings, dash-camera video and information from people who witnessed the pursuit or collision.
Several details remain unresolved while the investigations continue. Authorities have not announced a final finding on the sequence and circumstances of the collision beyond the preliminary account released by police. The reported burglary that led officers to the Hemingway Court address is also part of the broader criminal investigation. The Police Department’s initial release said Valdez was booked on multiple felony allegations but did not provide a complete list of counts.
Local court reporting said Valdez was scheduled to appear at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta on Sept. 18. No later verified court disposition was located in the sources reviewed for this report. The fatal crash investigation and related criminal inquiry remained ongoing.
Author note: Last updated September 18, 2026.