A California highway patrol officer has been charged with second-degree murder for his role in a fatal crash last summer, prosecutors announced on Monday.
Angelo Rodriguez, 24, was charged with second-degree murder after crashing into a civilian vehicle while driving at high speeds in Norwalk, said Los Angeles county district attorney Nathan Hochman at a press conference.
Prosecutors said Rodriguez was driving at least 130mph on duty during the early hours of 20 July, when the crash occurred.
Rodriguez did not have lights or sirens on and had no clear reason for driving so fast, they said.
Rodriguez allegedly collided into the back of 23-year-old Julie Harmori’s Nissan. There were three passengers in the vehicle.
Rodriguez did not provide aid to victims of the initial crash or use his sirens to alert other drivers, prosecutors said. Instead, they said, Rodriguez moved his patrol car to the side of the road and turned off his patrol car’s lights.
Rodriguez then left the scene of the collision shortly after, taking “absolutely no steps” to manage the crash, prosecutors said. Rodriguez later told officials that a California highway patrol vehicle had been involved in a wreck, but failed to mention that he had been driving, CBS News reported.
Minutes after the first crash, a second car crashed into the Nissan, causing it to catch fire. Iris Salmeron, who was reportedly driving at 100mph, was allegedly drunk at the time of the crash, with a blood alcohol content level measured above the legal limit. She has also been charged with second-degree murder.
Rodriguez later returned to the scene to find Harmori’s Nissan in flames. He was fired from the patrol following the incident.
Harmori, Armand Del Campo, Jordan Partridge and Samantha Skocilik died from injuries from the second collision, the Los Angeles Times reported. Investigators believe no severe injuries were caused by the initial crash.
“This horrible tragedy could have been prevented had this officer not been driving at ridiculously high speeds for no reason whatsoever,” said Hochman.
The Guardian could not reach California highway patrol officials for comment.
