Gabrielle Arsiage/Hobbs News-Sun
Lea County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested Kiara Sainz, 26, of Odessa on Dec. 14 after sending three people to the hospital by running over them with her car, while she was intoxicated.
On Nov. 27, deputies responded to the 2100 block of East Settles Pass about an accident involving the vehicle Sainz was allegedly driving, hitting three people, and leaving the scene.
Sainz’s vehicle was found disabled in the area, and Sainz was held down by a witness after attempting to flee the crashed vehicle.
A witness told deputies he saw Sainz, “hit three people with the vehicle on the 1900 block of North Orchid and followed her,” the report said. The witness said he saw Sainz speed away and wreck her vehicle.
“(The witness) stated he confronted Kiara, who attempted to run away, but he caught her and dragged her back to the passenger side of the vehicle before officers arrived,” the criminal complaint states. “(Sainz) had a pink-colored paper bracelet on her right wrist. The bracelet was stamped ‘Over 21.’”
The witness also told deputies he saw Sainz leaving a party on Oechid St..
“(The witness) said he also stepped out due to Kiara’s vehicle being near his. (The witness) said he observed the white car (driven by Sainz) take off and swerve towards (the 17-year-old victim) and her friends, and hit them causing (the 17-year-old victim) to flip in the air,” the complaint states. “(The witness) said he and his friend followed the vehicle along with (the 17-year old’s) brother and saw the vehicle run over something while attempting to turn and it became disabled.
“(The witness) said he and his friend approached the vehicle and pulled Kiara out of the driver seat as his friend reached in to get the keys. Kiara then attempted to run back to the car but he pulled her back out and pinned her against the car on the ground as officers began to arrive.”
Deputies on scene observed Sainz to have “watery eyes and slurred speech,” and “a strong odor of alcohol emanating from her breath.”
According to the complaint, Sainz’s breath alcohol content samples were .22 and .23.
A second witness to the incident told deputies she was also at the party on Orchid St. with Sainz.
The second witness told deputies she was in one of the rooms when she heard a commotion. When she stepped out Sainz was gone. She told deputies she did not witness anything else after Sainz left.
While deputies were processing Sainz’s vehicle, they observed a bullet hole on the outside panel near the driver side windshield along with a bullet below the hole between the panel and the plastic covering, the report stated.
Deputies contacted the owner of the home where Sainz fled from, and the homeowner told deputies she did host a party. The homeowner said several individuals she did not know were also at the party. The homeowner was in one of the bedrooms, but came out after she heard yelling.
Deputies spoke with the accident victims at Covenant Health Hobbs Hospital, where they were being treated.
One victim, a 17-year-old female, and had several injuries to her body.
“I observed a laceration to (the 17-year-old’s) left thigh,” the report states. “(The 17-year-old) also had an injury to her forehead which was beginning to swell. She also had scrapes to her right shoulder and forehead.”
The 17-year-old victim told deputies she and Sainz had an altercation because she was trying to calm Sainz down. The victim said she went outside to her boyfriend’s truck, and that is when Sainz allegedly ran her over.
“(The 17-year-old) said she did see the vehicle coming at her, but she did not have time to move,” the report states.
A second victim also had several injuries to the hand and thigh areas, and was seen by deputies at CHHH.
According to the victim’s statement to deputies, he had just arrived at the party and saw Sainz “passed out.” He said he woke Sainz and offered to give her a ride. He also said she was talking “well with him” until she started to get violent with another partygoer.
“(The male victim) said Kiara and (the 17-year-old victim) began to physically fight and ended up on the ground,” the complaint states. “(The male victim) separated the two females and told (the 17-year-old victim) she had to leave. (The male victim) said Kiara walked out followed by an unknown male. (The male victim) said (the 17-year-old victim) also walked outside and he followed her” along with another friend.
According to the report, all three victims were standing together and (The male victim) said as he was calming (the 17-year-old victim) Sainz fought, he then saw “the white vehicle approaching, heard the engine rev up, and saw the car swerve towards them knocking all three to the ground.”
“(The male victim) believed they were struck intentionally. (The male victim) said he did not see who was driving but would pursue charges if the driver was to be identified,” the report states.
Deputies also spoke with the third victim who was standing with the other two when run down by the vehicle.
“(The third victim) said she was struck by the driver side of the vehicle, on her left side, which caused her to fall,” the report states. “(The third victim) stated she was trying to get her friend back inside when she saw the vehicle going toward them. (The third victim) stated she believed they were struck intentionally. (The third victim) stated she knew Kiara was driving but stated she did not know her, and had met her at the party.”
According to Sainz’s statement to deputies, she only recalled getting into an argument and the argument turning physical. Anything after that, she said she did not remember.
“Kiara knew it had gotten physical due to some bruising to both of her arms and her left knee,” the report states. “Kiara stated she did not know the people at the party except for the friends she was with. Kiara recalled having argued with a male subject but she could not recall what he looked like.”
Sainz said she had three drinks and two shots before arriving at the party.
“Kiara did not recall fighting anyone. I told Kiara witnesses identified her as the driver of the vehicle. Kiara said she did not recall, and said she must have blacked out. I did advise Kiara she had struck three people with her vehicle,” the report states.
When deputies returned to the scene they confirmed tire impressions matched Sainz’s vehicle.
“One set of tire impressions appeared to swerve to the left (towards the west side of the road) and then correct again and continue northbound,” the report states. “It should be noted that the pattern of the noted tire impressions were consistent with the tires on Kiara’s vehicle.”
Video footage was later obtained from the homeowner and the footage showed the victims walking out of the home, two of the victims motioning for the 17-year-old victim to come back inside, the 17-year-old walking away from them and towards the west side of the road before being stopped by another victim.
“At time stamp 5:33 AM, headlights could be seen begin to move. I observed the headlights move to the right side of the road and then back to the left just as a white vehicle matching Kiara’s vehicle come into frame,” the report states. “The vehicle appeared to swerve directly at, and striking, the three individuals knocking them to the ground. The vehicle then continued northbound on Orchid without ever stopping or slowing down. (The three victims) all stood up as several subjects ran out to render aid. I observed multiple people get into vehicles and appeared to chase after the white car.”
