By Lauren Smith
SACRAMENTO – Rick Alarcon—a man with no criminal record—hit two bicyclists July 16 with his SUV in downtown Sacramento, causing major injuries.
A confused Alarcon said later “someone, maybe God” made him do it.
According to Deputy District Attorney Amanda Sanchez, witnesses said that when the defendant hit the first bicyclist, the victim “was thrown 10 feet in the air,” and was “unresponsive to the officers that reported to the scene (and) had critical injuries including a broken pelvis and head trauma.”
DDA Sanchez further stated that the second bicyclist Alarcon is charged with hitting said that she made eye contact with him, “he revved his engine” and then drove on the wrong side of the road to hit her. Her injuries include a broken leg and arm.
Apparently before these accidents occurred, the defendant was stopped by police and “was acting erratic.” However, they let him go because there was “no criminal behavior they could see.”
According to Alarcon’s defense attorney, Michelle Trigger, when he was pulled over by the police “he indicated that he was confused and trying to find his way to the hospital. They gave him directions to the hospital, and quite frankly he never made it…this incident occurred a few hours later.”
At this bail hearing, Trigger stated that on July 16, 2020, Alarcon “was experiencing an incident that I think anybody would characterize as quite bizarre.” When he was arrested, Alarcon had made statements to the police saying that someone, or God, was telling him to run over those bicyclists.
According to Trigger’s argument, the investigation conducted so far by Sacramento police officers revealed that Alarcon may have been drugged with PCP or methamphetamine “by someone he allowed to stay with him a couple nights previously.”
She stated that he “has no mental illness history, so it does appear to be drug related and that’s very consistent with the reports that were taken at the time.”
Trigger argued that Alarcon should be released on his own recognizance because he is disabled due to a work-related spinal injury that occurred four years ago, he has an autoimmune disorder making him “especially prone” and “very much in danger” of contracting COVID-19, and he has no criminal history.
Yet, DDA Sanchez found that Alarcon did have a criminal history; he previously pleaded guilty to a child endangerment misdemeanor, and Sanchez noted, “I would ask for bail to remain as set [at $125,000] given the injuries to the victim, the multiple victims, just until further investigation is done on this case.”
In ruling on the release of the defendant, Judge Patrick Marlette stated, “Regarding the jail, I’m satisfied that the sheriff is doing everything possible to address COVID, even for people who have vulnerabilities, so I am not really taking that into consideration.”
He concluded, “Given that he has no record and is facing potential life changing consequences to this, I need something, so I am going to make his bail $50,000.”
Alarcon will return to court on September 28, 2020, at 8:30 a.m.
