Suspect In Fatal Hit-And-Run Near SW RivCo Captured In Desert

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A 23-year-old fugitive who was sought for allegedly causing a crash that killed a woman earlier this month near Southwest Riverside County has been arrested, the California Highway Patrol announced.

Antone Bayard of Anza was taken into custody around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday by deputies in Desert Hot Springs. He is accused of causing a three-vehicle crash on SR-371, just north of Wilson Valley Road, near Aguanga, on Jan. 3 around 6:15 a.m.

According to a CHP report, a 2011 Nissan Versa driven by Bayard was speeding on the northbound side of the highway when it collided with the rear end of a Toyota truck. The impact caused Bayard to lose control of the car and veer into a southbound 2001 Mercedes Benz driven by 63-year-old Joan Terlisner of Aguanga.

Terlisner died at the scene; she was the only person in the vehicle, according to the CHP.

Two Hemet residents inside the Toyota truck escaped injury.

Bayard fled the scene on foot and had been on the run, according to the CHP. Tuesday he was arrested without incident by the Riverside County Fugitive Task Force and Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. He is being booked on suspicion of murder, according to the CHP report.