Oakland police have made an arrest in the June 16 hit-and-run that killed grandmother Santu Maya, and the suspect, 28-year-old convicted car thief Josue Ortega, also has pending shooting charges from a separate incident.
We reported last month on a fatal hit-and-run near Fruitvale in Oakland that took the life of Santu Maya, a Thai immigrant who'd only been in the country for four months after moving here to be with her daughter and grandchildren. Nearly two weeks later, Hoodline reported than an unnamed suspect had been identified, and Oakland police had released photos of the suspect.
Late Tuesday afternoon of this week, the Oakland PD announced on Facebook they’d made an arrest. “The Oakland Police Department (OPD) made an arrest for the fatal hit-and-run of Santu Maya, which occurred on June 16, 2023, in the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Vicksburg Avenue,” they said in the announcement. “Due to the relentless and collaborative efforts of OPD Patrol Officers and the US Marshals, an individual has been safely taken into custody.”
UPDATE: I’ve learned convicted car thief Josue Ortega, 28, arrested by @oaklandpoliceca, accused of leaving the scene in Mercedes after hitting & killing Santu Maya, 73, at Foothill & Vicksburg. Damaged car found in San Pablo. Ortega has pending @AlamedaCountyDA shooting case pic.twitter.com/DNedgFs3Rp
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) July 12, 2023
That announcement did not name the suspect. But KTVU has the scoop that the suspect is 28-year-old Josue Ortega, whom they describe as a “convicted car thief, with a pending shooting case being prosecuted by the Alameda County District Attorney's Office.”
UPDATE: “I was screaming ‘Help, help! Somebody hit my grandma!’ Woman killed by hit-and-run driver at Foothill & Vicksburg was Santu Maya, 73, who had been walking w/her daughter & granddaughter, @AmberKTVU reports. @oaklandpoliceca investigation ongoing pic.twitter.com/LDrYWJJkbM
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) June 20, 2023
There is a snippet of surveillance video of the fatal hit-and-run in the June KTVU segment above, which be warned, is a little graphic. At the time of the incident, Ortega was allegedly driving a black Mercedes-Benz at the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Vicksburg Avenue. Oakland police said last month that “speed and street racing appear to be contributing factors.”
And it appears another suspect was arrested in connection with this case. The Bay Area News Group reported yesterday that "Authorities on Tuesday announced the arrest of a 19-year-old man," in connection withy Maya's killing. That report does not name the suspect, but adds that the suspect "lives near the scene of the collision, was arrested in the city, and the car he was driving at the time of the collision was found in another city."
It’s unclear whether there is further investigation, or whether more suspects are involved. If you have any information on Ortega or this incident, you’re asked to call Oakland Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
Related: 73-Year-Old Oakland Woman Killed in Hit-and-Run, Driver Suspected of Street Racing [SFist]
Image: Oakland Police Department
