Drunk driver that crashed into a Sacramento-area family convicted of felony DUI, vehicle theft
The driver of a two-vehicle October 2022 crash in Citrus Heights that left three people seriously injured was convicted Wednesday of a felony DUI causing injury and felony vehicle theft.
According to a news release from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, the incident began when John Hayden Hart, under the influence of methamphetamine and fentanyl, was driving a stolen pickup truck. Roseville Police attempted to stop him after being alerted to a report of a stolen vehicle at 9 a.m. on Oct. 24, 2022.
This escalated into a chase with Officer Kelly Sibbitt pursuing the suspect without lights or sirens activated. The chase ended when Hart drove into oncoming traffic crashing into a Toyota Camry Solara with three people inside, according to a lawsuit brought against the Roseville Police Department by the family.
This pursuit left the Solara driver and passengers, including a four-year-old, seriously injured and recovering “well into 2023,” according to the lawsuit.
Photos of the crash from Metro Fire showed a pickup truck that appeared to be split in half, with its front cabin on the ground while its bed and rear end came to rest perched on top of a dividing wall and a residential structure next to the wall.
According to the lawsuit, Hart was driving more than 100 mph, with Sibbitt keeping pace.
“There were no sirens nor lights from Officer Sibbitt’s patrol vehicle to alert and warn plaintiffs or surrounding traffic of the chase,” the suit claimed.
The suit alleges that the incident began after Sibbitt got a notice of a possible stolen truck from an automated license plate reader. Roseville police policy states that automatic license plate readers cannot be the only basis for a traffic stop.
The victims were on their way to preschool, and the crash left the child with permanent paralysis to her lower body.
“She has only since regained limited movement in her upper body, and the ability to speak and eat. She still requires the use of a trach to breathe,” the District Attorney’s Office said.
Hart will be sentenced on Aug. 16.
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