A Montecito man was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and leaving the scene of an accident after an alleged hit-run crash that injured four people last weekend on downtown State Street.
Ryan Andrew Hill, 51, is accused of crashing his white pickup truck the night of March 27 at the intersection of Cota and State streets in Santa Barbara.
The truck rear-ended two vehicles stopped at the traffic signal, according to Santa Barbara Police Department Commander Charlie Katsapis. One of the drivers was transported by AMR Ambulance to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital with minor injuries, he said at the time.
After the crash, Hill allegedly ran northbound up State Street. An employee from Joe’s Cafe chased and caught Hill on the first block of East Ortega Street, police said.
The District Attorney’s Office complaint alleges that Hill caused bodily harm to four people because of the vehicle crash. It also alleges he was driving with a blood alcohol content of more than 0.08%.
The complaint also includes enhancements of multiple victims and having a prior DUI conviction in the last 10 years.
Hill pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied the enhancements at an arraignment hearing on Wednesday. He will appear in court for a preliminary hearing setting on April 7.
Hill was booked into the County Barbara County Jail after his arrest, with bail set at $100,000.
He appeared to be held in jail custody with no bail as of Thursday, according to the Sheriff’s Office records.




