Illegal immigrant dodges deportation for decade before allegedly killing man in DUI hit-and-run

A Mexican national living in the U.S. illegally for more than a decade after ignoring a federal deportation order was arrested in Orange County, California, on Friday after allegedly killing a 71-year-old man in a DUI hit-and-run crash, according to federal law enforcement sources.

Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle, The Orange County Register reported.

They found 71-year-old Barry William Tutt of La Verne critically injured. Emergency crews transported Tutt to a nearby hospital, where he later died.

Witnesses said a silver Ford sedan fled the scene, and detectives later identified the driver as 57-year-old Humberto Munoz Gatica of Laguna Niguel, according to The Register.

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Humberto Munoz Gatica, a Mexican illegal alien with an active deportation order since 2012, was arrested on Nov. 8, 2025, in Orange County, California, after allegedly killing a 71-year-old pedestrian in a DUI hit-and-run. (ICE Source)

Gatica was tracked down, arrested on charges of DUI and related offenses, and booked into the Orange County Jail. The investigation into the matter is ongoing.

Federal law-enforcement sources told Fox News that Gatica was first arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2011 for being in the country illegally.

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Humberto Munoz Gatica, a Mexican illegal alien with an active deportation order since 2012, was arrested on Nov. 8, 2025, in Orange County, California, after allegedly killing a 71-year-old pedestrian in a DUI hit-and-run. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

He was released under the Obama administration with a notice to appear in court but never did, leading a federal immigration judge to order his deportation in absentia in 2012.

Gatica has remained an ICE fugitive since that ruling, officials said, living in California, which designates itself a sanctuary state.

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Humberto Munoz Gatica, a Mexican illegal alien with an active deportation order since 2012, was arrested on Nov. 8, 2025, in Orange County, California, after allegedly killing a 71-year-old pedestrian in a DUI hit-and-run. (iStock)

Authorities said he was driving under the influence in Dana Point on Friday when he allegedly struck Tutt and fled.

Jail records show Gatica faces charges of DUI causing death or bodily injury and hit-and-run causing death or bodily injury.

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Federal officials also told Fox News that Gatica was arrested in 2011 on a robbery charge in Orange County but later pleaded to grand theft as part of a plea deal.