Latest news with #ImanolGonzalez
Daily Mail
19-06-2025
- Daily Mail
LAPD sergeant accused of fatal drunk hit and run 'googled crash instead of reporting it'
A sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department who is accused of fatally mowing down a teenager before fleeing the scene callously searched the internet for news of the hit and run instead of reporting it, authorities said. Carlos Gonzalo Coronel, 40, struck Imanol Salvador Gonzalez, 19, with his pickup truck in Tustin, California, on February 1 after a night of drinking, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office. The off-duty sergeant had allegedly been drinking with his brother-in-law before getting behind the wheel of his black Chevrolet Silverado and heading to his girlfriend's home, prosecutors said. That's when he allegedly struck Gonzalez, who was walking along Nisson Road near Del Amo Avenue, and left him to die in the street. Prosecutors say Coronel never stopped, never called 911, and instead continued on to his girlfriend's house. He even allegedly told his girlfriend to avoid the street where the crash occurred as she drove him back to his home in Buena Park. 'In the hours after Gonzalez was killed, Coronel is also accused of searching the Internet to see if there had been a fatal hit and run in Tustin,' the Orange County DA said in release. He has been charged with felony counts of DUI causing great bodily injury, hit and run with permanent injury or death, and a felony enhancement for causing great bodily injury. Coronel faces a maximum sentence of six years and eight months in prison. Bystanders had discovered Gonzalez's body and contacted police. 'Our law enforcement officers are entrusted with the highest level of public trust, and it is unconscionable that an officer who swore an oath to protect and serve would leave a man to die in the street after hitting him while driving under the influence of alcohol,' said District Attorney Todd Spitzer. 'Imanol was loved by his family, and he did not deserve to have his story end lying in the middle of a dark Tustin street alone while the police officer who hit him drove away because his self-preservation was more important than a human life.' LAPD officials told KTLA that the department 'is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, professionalism, and accountability.' 'We do not tolerate misconduct of any kind, and any violations of department policies or the public trust are taken seriously,' a statement read. 'All allegations of officer misconduct are thoroughly investigated, and appropriate action is taken to ensure accountability. Our commitment is to serve and protect the community with fairness, respect, and transparency.' A GoFundMe has been created by a friend of the victim's mom to help raise money for his funeral expenses. It had raised more than $8,500 as of Thursday afternoon. 'His life was tragically cut short at the tender age of 19 years old by a hit-and-run vehicle,' the fundraising page read. 'His family is devastated and is going through a lot of financial and emotional hardship. 'All donations will be greatly appreciated and are going towards funeral expenses. Thank you and God bless you on behalf of Imanol's family and myself.'
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Yahoo
LAPD sergeant charged with DUI, hit-and-run in deadly off-duty collision in Orange County
Prosecutors in Orange County filed charges Wednesday against a Los Angeles Police Department officer who, while off-duty and reportedly drinking earlier this year, allegedly struck a 19-year-old pedestrian and left him to die in the street, officials said. Carlos Gonzalo Coronel, 40, of Buena Park, who serves as a sergeant in the LAPD, is charged with DUI causing death and hit-and-run involving a fatality, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office. He also faces a sentence-enhancing special allegation of causing great bodily injury. The crash took place during the early morning hours of Feb. 1 in the area of Nisson Road and DelAmo Avenue in Tustin. Coronel was at the wheel of a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck " after a night of drinking with his brother-in-law" when the collision took place about 3:40 a.m. He struck and fatally injured 19-year-old Imanol Salvador Gonzalez of Tustin, who was walking in the street, according to a district attorney's office statement. "Coronel, who was on his way to his girlfriend's home, is accused of not stopping his truck to see what he hit," the statement said. "He did not call 911. Two people who were on their way home from work that morning found Gonzalez's body lying in the middle of Nisson Road a few minutes later and called police." Rather than stopping to help, and despite significant front-end damage to his truck, Coronel is accused of driving to his girlfriend's house, "leaving the man to die in the street," the statement said. Colonel later had his girlfriend drive him back to his home in Buena Park, prosecutors said. He allegedly directed her to avoid the street where the young man had been struck. "In the hours after Gonzalez was killed, Coronel is also accused of searching the Internet to see if there had been a fatal hit and run in Tustin," the statement said. "Coronel is also accused of driving by the Tustin Police Department crime scene where officers were investigating Gonzalez' death but not alerting officers to the fact that he had been in a collision at that same intersection." If convicted as charged, Colonel could face up to 6 years and 8 months in state prison. Coronel had a prior DUI conviction in 2011, ABC Los Angeles reported at the time of the collision. Under California law, drivers are eligible to be charged with murder if involved in a subsequent DUI that results in a death. But the district attorney's office did not seek murder or manslaughter charges. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said the Colonel should have known better. "Our law enforcement officers are entrusted with the highest level of public trust, and it is unconscionable thatan officer who swore an oath to protect and serve would leave a man to die in the street after hitting him whiledriving under the influence of alcohol," he said. "Imanol was loved by his family, and he did not deserve to have his story end lying in the middle of a dark Tustin street alone while the police officer who hit him drove away because his self-preservation was more important than a human life," according to Spitzer. An arraignment hearing was scheduled for June 27 in Orange County Superior Court. In the meantime, Colonel was not in Orange County Sheriff's Department custody, records show. This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: LAPD sergeant charged in deadly off-duty collision in Orange County
