Pasadena Police Announce Arrest in Double Fatality Hit-and-Run

A 30-year-old Altadena resident, Jeffrey Butler, has been arrested in connection with a double fatality hit-and-run collision Wednesday night in Pasadena, according to the Pasadena Police Dept.’s Traffic Section.

Authorities said the collision occurred about 9:17 p.m. when a speeding stolen white Lincoln Navigator heading north on Raymond Avenue went around a car stopped at a stop sign and ran through an intersection, striking a Nissan Versa with two occupants driving eastbound on Penn Street.

The Medical Examiner’s office reported 63-year-old Antonio Mendoza Hernandez of Los Angeles died at the scene and 33-year-old Veralice Yanira Membreno Orellana of Altadena was pronounced dead at a hospital.

The impact sent the Versa into the northeast curb while the Navigator continued north on Raymond, striking a parked Ford F-150 on the west curb line. 

The driver and passenger of the Navigator fled from the scene on foot.

Police supplied surveillance camera video which captured the initial crash.

A police statement said Pasadena Traffic Section investigators quickly identified the suspect in the deadly collision as Jeffrey Butler.

Butler was apprehended on Thursday, October 19 near his home with the help of the Robbery Homicide Unit and Street Crime Unit. Detectives from the Traffic Section executed a search warrant at Butler’s residence and collected evidence, police said.

He has been booked on charges of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, hit and run resulting in death, and violation of parole.

The case will be presented to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Monday, October 23 by Traffic Section Detectives, authorities said.

Anyone with further information about this case is encouraged to call the Pasadena Police at (626) 744-4241 or report information anonymously by contacting “Crime Stoppers” at (800) 222- TIPS (8477), via your smartphone by downloading the “P3 Tips” Mobile APP on Google  Play or the Apple App Store, or by using the website http://lacrimestoppers.org.