Felony charges filed in ATV hit-and-run that killed two children

An Apple Valley man who turned himself in after an off-road hit-and-run crash that left two children dead this month has been charged with four felonies.

Edgar Ivan Galindo Diaz, 35, faces two counts each of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and hit-and-run resulting in death or serious injury, the San Bernardino County district attorney’s office said Friday.

Galindo turned himself in to the California Highway Patrol’s Victorville office on Tuesday, the law enforcement agency said.

He was booked into jail that day, with his bail set at $200,000, prosecutors said. Galindo was released Thursday after posting bail, jail records show.

Along with the felony charges, the district attorney’s office requested a bail review when Galindo is arraigned, which is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Christina “Tina” Bird, 11, and her friend Jacob Martinez, 12, were killed in the July 2 crash at the Stoddard Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Area.

Tina and Jacob were celebrating the Fourth of July weekend with their families at an Inland Empire campground. They were riding a small ATV about 9 p.m. when they were struck on Stoddard Wells Road by a larger Polaris off-road vehicle, authorities said. The vehicle fled the scene after the crash.

Jacob was pronounced dead at the scene. Tina was found with multiple broken bones and a severed spinal cord.

She was taken to an area hospital by paramedics before being airlifted to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where she was declared brain-dead and removed from life support July 6.

Based on wreckage at the scene, investigators believed the suspect’s vehicle was a bright orange 2021 Polaris RZR Turbo S or Turbo S4, according to the CHP.

Investigators found a 2021 Polaris RZR at Galindo’s residence on the evening of July 7, and a warrant was issued for his arrest, the CHP said.