Suspect on the run after killing woman in Montecito

September 30, 2022

By JOSH FRIEDMAN

A driver is accused of intentionally striking a woman with a vehicle in Montecito Thursday morning, ultimately killing her.

Shortly before 5:35 a.m., a 911 caller reported a woman had been heard screaming in the 800 block of East Mountain Drive. Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at the scene and found the woman lying in the roadway. The woman was seriously injured, according to the sheriff’s office.

Responders transported the woman to a hospital in the area. She died of her injuries at about 7:45 p.m.

The driver who struck the woman fled before deputies arrived at the scene. The individual remains on the loose.

Sheriff’s detectives believe the driver intentionally struck the woman. The suspect and the victim were known to each other, and the incident was not a random attack, sheriff’s officials say.

Officials are currently withholding the identities of both the suspect and the victim. The victim’s identity will be released after relatives are notified of her death.