Driver pleads guilty to causing wrong-way crash that led to death of LA County sheriff’s recruit

Advertisement

Advertise with us

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 25-year-old man has pleaded guilty to causing a wrong-way crash that led to the death of a Los Angeles sheriff's recruit and injured several other recruits who were out on a run.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Monthly Digital Subscription

$1 per week for 24 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*Billed as $4.00 plus GST every four weeks. After 24 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

Monthly Digital Subscription

$4.99/week*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*Billed as $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

No thanks

*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 25-year-old man has pleaded guilty to causing a wrong-way crash that led to the death of a Los Angeles sheriff’s recruit and injured several other recruits who were out on a run.

Nicholas Gutierrez of Diamond Bar, California, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and nine counts of reckless driving causing injuries, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. He was ordered to receive an eight-year suspended prison sentence and be placed on probation for five years, the statement said.

Defense attorney Alexandra Kazarian, who previously represented Gutierrez, did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

FILE - Two investigators stand next to a mangled SUV that struck Los Angeles County sheriff's recruits in Whittier, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - Two investigators stand next to a mangled SUV that struck Los Angeles County sheriff's recruits in Whittier, Calif., Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

The plea came more than three years after Gutierrez was driving an SUV that veered onto the wrong side of the road in suburban Whittier in 2022, striking 25 recruits on a morning run. Authorities said 76 recruits from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and several local police agencies were running in formation in the street when the crash occurred.

Authorities said the investigation determined that Gutierrez appeared to have fallen asleep while driving. Ten recruits were seriously injured including Alejandro Martinez, who died from his injuries eight months later, the statement said.

The plea marks “a step toward justice and a measure of closure for the victims and their families whose lives have been forever changed,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said in the statement.

Report Error Submit a Tip

World

LOAD MORE