Veben Jose Hayag
THE driver who fatally struck a pedestrian on the evening of Dec. 15, 2024 on Tun Thomas P. Sablan Road in San Antonio has been identified and arrested by the Department of Public Safety.
On Dec. 19, DPS executed an arrest warrant against Veben Jose Hayag, 56, who was charged with leaving the scene of an accident.
Hayag appeared in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a bail hearing before Superior Court Associate Judge Joseph N. Camacho on Friday.
Hayag was represented by Chief Public Defender Douglas Hartig, while Assistant Attorney General David Krach appeared for the government.
Judge Camacho, who maintained the $10,000 cash bail against Hayag, noted that the person struck by the defendant died and yet the complaint against him did not indicate that.
After the hearing, Hayag was remanded to the custody of Corrections and ordered to return to court for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 30 at 10 a.m. and for an arraignment on Jan. 13 at 9 a.m.
The complaint
According to the complaint against Hayag, he admitted driving a Toyota Highlander on the evening of Dec. 15, traveling southbound on Koblerville Road and crashing into a man along the westbound lane on Thomas P. Sablan Road.
Panicked and scared, Hayag told investigators he left the scene by traveling north, passing the Pacific Islands Club and making a right turn onto Afetnas Road, then onto As Gonno Road and Flame Tree Road to his Dandan residence.
Hayag admitted to tampering with the windshield, front bumper, and hood of his vehicle. He also admitted to disposing of its front windshield.
Police identified the vehicle that struck the victim through CCTV footage from various establishments.
Police found the Toyota Highlander at Hayag’s residence, covered with a blue tarp, its front bumper, hood, and windshield missing.
In an official statement on Friday, Dec. 20, DPS stated: “Investigations conducted by officers from the Highway Patrol Investigation Unit led to the identification of Mr. Hayag and the discovery of the vehicle allegedly used on the night of the incident. The vehicle has been seized for further investigation.”
DPS also thanked “community members who may have contributed to providing information in relation to this incident. Although there has been an arrest, the case remains at a preliminary stage of investigation. Anyone who may have information about this incident are encouraged to call DPS Highway Patrol Division at (670) 664-9085, DPS headquarters at (670) 664-9000 or the Crime Stoppers Hotline at (670) 234-7272 if they wish to remain anonymous.”
