CARLSBAD, Calif. (KGTV) - New video obtained by ABC 10News shows the final moments as a 23-year-old Karla Guillen was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in Carlsbad more than a year ago.
The footage reveals Guillen, after midnight, standing near her car on Las Palmas Drive after finishing her shift at McDonald's, when headlights flash. A Volkswagen Jetta then crashes into her and her car.
Twenty-one seconds after the collision, a person is seen walking away from the wreckage.
Police say 26-year-old Jose Manuel Zambrano Cruz ran from the scene and was arrested less than two miles away on several charges, including DUI, hit and run and vehicular manslaughter.
"The video made me sick for a month. How can a human with emotions leave without helping?" said Yovanna, Guillen's mother.
The tragedy continues to devastate Guillen's family 14 months later. Her mother describes her heart as "full of sadness," while her younger brother Angel remains deeply affected by the loss.
"I'm still very sad because of it," Angel said through tears.
I first met Guillen's family in September 2024, days after the crash that claimed the mother of two's life. Yovanna had described losing her daughter as her "world being gone."
This September, on Guillen’s birthday, loved ones and friends gathered to remember her life.
Family members are hoping Cruz's trial, scheduled for late January, will bring them the justice they seek.
"I just want whoever killed my sister to be in jail for a long time. I want justice, that's all I want," Angel said.
A Gofundme campaign has been set up to help with expenses related to Guillen’s children.
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