A devastating and entirely preventable tragedy has struck Orange County, California, claiming the life of an innocent American and exposing the deadly consequences of failed open-border policies and reckless sanctuary city laws. Barry William Tutt, a 71-year-old man from La Verne, was killed in a brutal hit-and-run, and the suspect is a Mexican illegal alien who should never have been in the United States to begin with.
This horrific incident occurred on Friday, November 7, 2025, near the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Dana Point Harbor Drive. According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, deputies arrived to find Mr. Tutt severely injured; he was transported to a hospital but tragically succumbed to his injuries. The driver of a silver Ford sedan, identified as the suspect, callously fled the scene, leaving an elderly man to die.
Thanks to the work of local law enforcement, the suspect was located and arrested. He was booked into the Orange County Jail for charges related to the hit-and-run and, shockingly, on suspicion of driving under the influence. The man now in custody is 57-year-old Humberto Munoz Gatica. What has since been revealed about his history paints a damning picture of a broken immigration system that the Biden-Harris administration and their Democratic allies have actively perpetuated.
Investigative reporter Bill Melugin uncovered the shocking truth that the suspect, Humberto Munoz Gatica, is an illegal alien from Mexico who has been an ICE fugitive for over a decade. According to ICE sources, Gatica was initially arrested by ICE in 2011 for being in the country illegally. In a decision that would have fatal consequences over a decade later, the Obama-Biden administration’s ICE agency released him with a simple notice to appear in court.
As is all too common, Gatica never showed up for his court date. A federal immigration judge ordered him deported in absentia in 2012, but he had already vanished into the shadows. He has been an ICE fugitive ever since, living with impunity in the sanctuary state of California, a jurisdiction that proudly shields criminals from federal immigration authorities.
BREAKING: Per multiple ICE sources, the suspected DUI hit & run driver arrested for allegedly killing an elderly pedestrian in Orange County, CA on Friday is a Mexican illegal alien & ICE fugitive who has had an active deportation order since 2012.
I’m told 57-year-old Humberto… pic.twitter.com/01VmeHFg0y
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) November 9, 2025
This is not even Gatica’s first encounter with the law. He has a prior arrest for robbery in Orange County from 2011. He received a plea deal, was convicted of the lesser crime of grand theft, and was sentenced to a mere ten days in jail. This slap on the wrist for a serious crime, combined with the federal government’s failure to detain and deport him, set the stage for the death of Barry William Tutt.
This heartbreaking case is a direct result of a chain of policy failures that President Donald Trump tirelessly fought to correct. His administration implemented robust enforcement measures, recognized the danger of sanctuary cities, and sought to remove criminal illegal aliens from our communities. The stark contrast in philosophy could not be clearer: one approach prioritizes the safety of American citizens, while the other offers protection to foreign lawbreakers at the expense of innocent lives.