A suspect has been tracked down and arrested for a hit-and-run committed in Palo Cedro. Just before 2 O’clock Sunday afternoon a vehicle driven at a high rate of speed struck Carlos Zapata at the Palo Cedro Park on Cedro Lane. Organizers of the Palo Cedro Rodeo were breaking down the event at the time. They say the suspect vehicle had been seen several times that day doing burnouts in the parking lot. Zapata, a Red Bluff business owner, was known for being one the organizers of the “Red, White, and Blueprint” movement that supported a slate of right wing candidates in Shasta County several years ago. Zapata sustained broken ribs, a broken scapula, and a punctured lung. Witnesses told arriving that the collision was intentional and they identified the driver as 47-year-old Dustin Alan Mingarelli. A “be on the lookout” advisory was issued for Mingarelli and an arrest warrant was secured. On Monday morning Mingarelli was taken into custody by police in Napa, and he was booked into Napa County Jail awaiting transport to Shasta County. He’ll be charged with attempted murder and hit-and-run.
-Steve Gibson