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10:53 PM PST on Friday, November 14, 2008
Temecula man sought in fatal hit-and-run caught after car chase
By JEFF HORSEMAN
The Press-Enterprise
A Temecula man charged in connection with the hit-and-run deaths of a Winchester family this summer was apprehended Thursday after a car chase and a crash into an Upland house, San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies said.
Deputies in Rancho Cucamonga attempted to stop a car driven by Chad Isaac Huber, 31, around 4 p.m. after determining it was stolen, said Sgt. Dave Phelps, a sheriff's spokesman.
Huber failed to stop and led police on a 2-mile car chase into Upland, Phelps said. He crashed into a house and fled on foot, Phelps added.
Huber then entered an unlocked house, Phelps said. The home's residents ran out and alerted deputies and Upland police.
Officers entered the house and arrested Huber, who was bitten by a police dog, Phelps said. He is being held without bail at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga.
Huber is charged with three counts of murder and hit-and-run causing death. Investigators believe Huber was responsible for a June 29 accident near Lake Skinner in southwestern Riverside County that killed Andres San Agustin, 48, his wife, Maribeth Pagaspas San Agustin, 36, and their 4-year-old son, Angelo.
The San Agustins were returning from a party around 8 p.m. when a pickup collided with the family's Chevrolet Malibu, driving over most of the driver's side length of the car, running off the road and coming to rest on its roof.
Police said another truck traveling with the pickup stopped to pick up Huber and fled the crash scene.
Just before the crash, witnesses reported seeing a large, raised pickup in the area traveling 75 to 100 mph.
Investigators interviewed the pickup's owner, Huber's estranged wife, who told them Huber drove the truck and sometimes drank at a Winchester bar. The bartender there told police Huber had been at the bar for about an hour before the crash and drank four shots, two beers and a mixed drink. Jarred Abatti, 23, of Banning, was arrested shortly after the crash. Police said he helped Huber flee.
Abatti identified Huber as the driver and said his friend was "obviously intoxicated," according to an arrest warrant declaration.
Following the crash, Huber called police to report his truck was stolen. He said he was vacationing with his girlfriend at the Sheraton Hotel in San Diego when his truck was taken, and he suggested to CHP officers his wife had something to do with the alleged theft, court records indicate.
Investigators checked with the hotel, which reported that Huber had not been staying there. Reach Jeff Horseman at 951-375-3727 or jhorseman@PE.com
