New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: dui

A suspected DUI driver ran his truck into a transient and killed him, in Orange

Posted on July 25, 2022 by Editor Posted in Alcohol, Crime, homeless, Orange Leave a comment

On 07/23/22, at 8:23 p.m., Jose Antonio Cisneros Segura, a 45-year-old from Anaheim, was driving a 1966 GMC pickup truck south in the 100 block of North Feldner Road. Segura lost control of the vehicle and struck a male transient, 64-year-old Gary Tripe, who had been sitting on the sidewalk.

Tripe was declared deceased at the scene.

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Segura fled in his truck and was located by patrol officers a short time later in the 200 block of north Donneybrooke Street.

Segura displayed objective symptoms of intoxication. He was arrested and booked into Orange County Jail for Gross Vehicular Manslaughter, Felony Hit & Run, Felony DUI Causing Death, and Driving Unlicensed.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Orange Police Department at 714-744-7451.

Man arrested for fatal DUI crash in Orange

Posted on July 5, 2022 by Editor Posted in Crime, Drugs, Tustin Leave a comment

Tyler Pitchford was arrested on murder charges by Orange Police Officers as he was released from a hospital on June 28, in relation to a fatal DUI auto collision.

On May 21, 2022, at 10:29 p.m., Pitchford (31-year-old male from Orange) was driving a Kia Soul north on Tustin Street. Pitchford failed to stop for the red light at Taft Avenue and collided into a Porsche. The driver of the Porsche died at the scene.

Pitchford was admitted to a local hospital with significant injuries. Pitchford’s blood sample returned positive for several illicit drugs including Fentanyl and he has two prior convictions for driving impaired.

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The Orange Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Team has been working diligently with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office to secure a criminal filing.

Pitchford has been booked at Orange County Jail.

Anaheim man convicted after a fatal DUI crash that killed a little girl

Posted on June 24, 2022 by Editor Posted in Alcohol, Anaheim, Crime, OCDA Leave a comment

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A man who was driving with a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit when he hit and killed a 6-year-old girl who was playing on the sidewalk was convicted today of the girl’s murder. The driver had already been charged in a 2015 driving under the influence case in which he had been warned of the deadly dangers of driving under the influence.

Maximino Delgado Lagunas, 56, of Anaheim, was found guilty by a jury of one felony count of second-degree murder. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years to life.

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Lagunas is scheduled to be sentenced on September 9, 2022 at the North Justice Center in Fullerton in Department N11.

On February 17, 2018, Lagunas left a job site where he had been working as a painter. Lagunas lost control of his vehicle, drove onto the opposite sidewalk, hitting 6-year-old Grace Aguilar and eventually a parked car. Grace died as a result of her injuries.

Toxicology results revealed Lagunas was driving with a blood alcohol level of .22%, more than three times California’s legal limit of .08%

“An innocent little girl who was just playing on the sidewalk is dead as a result of the selfish decision by a stranger to get behind the wheel of a vehicle while intoxicated,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “This is a tragedy that should never have happened and Grace should still be alive today. Every time someone drives under the influence of drugs or alcohol, they take the risk that they could kill someone. And this time he did – and it was a little six-year-old girl named Grace.”

Senior Deputy District Attorney Jeff Moore of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.

A driver crashed his pickup truck into a home in Orange on Friday night

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Editor Posted in Accidents, Alcohol, Crime, Orange Leave a comment

On Friday night at 10:45 p.m., a 55-year-old male from Villa Park was driving east on Katella in an F-250 when he sideswiped another vehicle. This caused the truck to lose the front passenger side wheel, which caused the truck to veer off the roadway and collide into the front of a residence in the 2400 block of E. Katella.

Fortunately, the residents inside the home were not injured, but the house sustained major structural damage and the gas meter was damaged.

Orange City Fire responded, shut off the gas, stabilized the structure, and red-tagged it.

The driver was arrested for DUI and transported to a local hospital. Traffic on Katella Ave. was closed for approximately 2.5 hours while OFD was on scene.

A suspected DUI driver slammed into ten cars in Orange on Friday night

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Editor Posted in Alcohol, Crime, Orange Leave a comment

A suspected drunk driver was arrested on Friday night after he lost control of his vehicle as he drove on East Lincoln Avenue, in Orange, and then proceeded to crash into nine parked cars before he drove back onto the road and hit a Toyota Prius that was passing by.

The suspected DUI driver, a 32-year-old man, was trapped in his car for a while after the crashes and had to be rescued by firefighters. He was however then arrested and taken into custody.

The alleged DUI driver was not badly injured in the incident.

The Orange Police are investigating the incident.

The average cost of a DUI in California ranges from $10 to 12K. The suspect will however also likely be facing several auto liability claims and could also be sued by the occupants of the Toyota Prius.

DUI drivers, if convicted, also lose their driving privileges.

A DUI driver was arrested in Costa Mesa after a crash that injured two people

Posted on February 10, 2022 by Editor Posted in Alcohol, Costa Mesa, Crime 1 Comment

A DUI crash happened on Feb. 7, in the afternoon, in Costa Mesa.

The drunken driver, who was also not wearing his seatbelt, was initially traveling in his Civic eastbound on 19th Street. He drove over the raised center median and crashed head-on with another vehicle.

That second vehicle was pushed into a third vehicle as a result of the initial crash. The vehicle was spun onto the sidewalk and destroyed a city-owned water back flow control box and associated pipes.

Two people were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment, including the driver who was arrested for DUI.

Riverside man facing felony charges after a fatal hit-and-run crash in Orange County

Posted on January 26, 2022 by Editor Posted in Accidents, Alcohol, Anaheim, Crime, Fullerton, OCDA, Riverside County Leave a comment

Tyler Christian Williams, a 22-year-old Riverside man, is facing several felony charges after a fatal hit-and-run crash on the 91 Freeway, on the border of Anaheim and Fullerton, near Brookhurst Street, on Sunday, Jan. 23.

Williams was driving a 2013 Lincoln west on the 91 Freeway, west of Brookhurst Street, at an unknown speed when he collided into a 2004 Ford, causing the Ford to overturn. Despite that accident Williams kept driving west and then crashed into a 2012 Toyota, according to the CHP.

The driver in the Ford vehicle later died at a hospital after sustaining major injuries. No one was reported to have been injured in the Toyota and Williams also was uninjured.

The identity of the victim has not yet been confirmed by the OC Coroner.

The OCDA is alleging that Williams had a blood-alcohol level of .19, when he caused the two vehicle accidents. That is more than twice the legal limit. An adult male would have to consume at least 5-6 beers to get to a blood-alcohol level of .19.

Williams was charged with felony counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of .08 percent, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, driving with a blood-alcohol level above .08 percent causing injury and hit-and-run with permanent and serious injury. He was also charged with a misdemeanor for driving on a suspended license. He is also facing sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury on another victim who survived.

A suspected DUI driver flew off an O.C. freeway and slammed into a motel

Posted on January 25, 2022 by Editor Posted in Accidents, Alcohol, buena park, CHP, Crime Leave a comment

The CHP arrested a driver on suspicion of DUI after he managed to fly his car off an Orange County Freeway and smashed it right into a motel in Buena Park.

The incident happened on Sunday night, Jan. 23, at around 11:10 p.m. The driver was in a 2019 BMW that was traveling eastbound on the 91 Freeway as he headed to the Beach Blvd. off-ramp. However the driver did not handle the curve in the road well and he drove off the roadway, smashing through several freeway signs, before busting through a fence and landing in the Quality Inn at 7555 Beach Blvd.

The driver was fortunate to escape without any injuries and no one at the Quality Inn was injured either, according to the CHP.

The arriving CHP officers suspected that impairment had contributed to the crash and they arrested the driver on suspicion of DUI.

Anyone with information that could assist with the investigation is asked to contact investigating Officer O. Renteria at the CHP at 714-892-4426.

The Fountain Valley Police will target suspected drunk or high drivers during the holiday season

Posted on December 17, 2021 by Editor Posted in Alcohol, Crime, Drugs, Fountain Valley Leave a comment

Fountain Valley, Calif. – This holiday season, the Fountain Valley Police Department reminds the public to celebrate the holiday season responsibly by not driving under the influence.

The Fountain Valley Police Department is committed to keeping our community safe and encourages everyone to stay in for the night or use a designated sober driver if you have consumed alcohol, marijuana, prescription, or over-the-counter drugs that may impair your ability to drive.

From December 15 through New Year’s Day, the Fountain Valley Police Department will have additional officers on patrol looking for drivers suspected of being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The extra enforcement effort is part of a national campaign, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, with the goal of stopping suspected impaired drivers who put others on the road at risk.

“When it comes to consuming drugs and/or alcohol and driving, there is a right and wrong choice,” Sergeant Brian Mosher said. “Make the right choice by not driving impaired so everyone is able to enjoy the holidays.”
Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Pomona woman facing felony charges after an alleged DUI collision that killed three in Anaheim

Posted on December 15, 2021 by Editor Posted in Accidents, Alcohol, Anaheim, Crime, OCDA Leave a comment

The Anaheim Police finally tracked down the woman believed to be behind a horrific DUI hit-and-run collision that killed three men in Anaheim back in May of this year. Cynthia Lizbeth Ayala of Pomona, a 27-year-old, is facing charges in connection with that DUI collision.

She is facing a half-dozen felony charges that include gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and hit-and-run with permanent and serious injury. She appeared in court on Monday but did not enter a plea.

The police investigators allege that she was behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz that was traveling north on Brookhurst at around 3 a.m., between Broadway and Orange Avenue, when she crashed into a Kia Soul driven by a 63-year-old Uber driver from Los Angeles, Alexander Smiller, that was trying to turn into the street from a parking lot.

The Mercedes slammed into front, left bumper of the Kia, which caused major front-end damage to both vehicles.

Smiller and his two passengers, Jacob Rolon of La Mirada, age 32, and Richard Zuniga of Anaheim, age 36, were killed.

Ayala and her passenger were taken to a local hospital by a good Samaritan, after the crash, according to the Anaheim Police.

Anaheim Police investigators took months to determine who was at fault and how Ayala and her passenger ended up leaving the crash scene before the police officers arrived.

The investigation determined that Ayala’s Mercedes would have had the right-of-way if the other driver had been turning onto the roadway. A surveillance video obtained by the police showed that the Kia pulled into the street and then the Mercedes slammed into it.

The Anaheim Police are also alleging that Ayala allegedly had a blood-alcohol content of 0.218 at the time of the fatal crash and was also driving at an unsafe speed and not paying attention to the road. That blood-alcohol level is more than double the amount allowed for safe driving.

Two dead after a Lake Forest man’s alleged third DUI resulted in a crash on the 5 Freeway

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Editor Posted in Alcohol, Crime, Irvine, OCDA Leave a comment

Jorge ErastoCruz, 33, a Lake Forest man, is facing two counts of murder, which were filed on Tuesday, Nov. 16, after he was involved in a suspected DUI crash on the 5 Freeway, in Irvine, that resulted in the death of two people early on Sunday.

ErastoCruz has been convicted of DUIs twice prior to this latest fatal incident. Perhaps that is why this time he was held in custom in lieu of bail of $1M.

ErastoCruz failed a field sobriety test at the crash scene, which occurred near the southbound lanes north of Yale Avenue, according to the CHP.

ErastoCruz slammed a GMC Yukon into the back of a Honda Civic, which for some reason had stopped on the right shoulder, at about 2 a.m.

One of the victims had been outside of the Civic and was trying to get back into the vehicle when the crash occurred. The impact flung that victim into traffic and a passing vehicle then struck the victim and killed him.

Four other people in the car were hospitalized but one of them, Alice Read, 25, of San Diego, died.

The man struck by another vehicle has not yet been identified by the O.C. Coroner.

ErastoCruz was arrested and booked on suspicion of DUI involving alcohol. The charges now include drunk driving, driving with a suspended or revoked license, and two counts of murder.

ErastoCruz pleaded guilty in 2019 to two prior cases of DUI. One DUI took place on Oct. 18, 2018, and the other happened on Dec. 30 of that same year.

Man who drank a bucket of beers before a fatal DUI in Santa Ana is convicted

Posted on October 19, 2021 by Editor Posted in Alcohol, Crime, Garden Grove, OCDA, Santa Ana 1 Comment

Jesus Segura Herrera, a 32-year-old man, was convicted on Monday of second-degree murder, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, driving with a blood-alcohol count higher than the legal limit and hit and run with permanent and serious injury, all felonies. Sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury on both victims in the crash were also approved by the jury.

Herrera was previously convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol, hit and run and battery against a peace officer, all misdemeanors, on Halloween 2008. That is why in this latest trial he was charged with second-degree murder instead of vehicular manslaughter.

On Dec. 2, 2018, Herrera headed to the Spoons restaurant, in Santa Ana and proceeded to consume a “bucket of beer” according o the prosecutor.

Herrera then got into his Acura TL and was driving at speeds of about 40 to 50 mph on Grand Ave. when he rear-ended a Scion XD at McFadden Avenue, just after 2 a.m.

The crash took the life of Jorge Davalos Carrillo, 39, of Garden Grove, who was the right rear passenger in the Scion. Another passenger in the front seat sustained a brain injury as well as fractures to the spine, rib and pelvis, and spent two months hospitalized, according to the prosecutor.

Three good Samaritans helped Herrera out of his car and asked him to stay put, but Herrera returned to his car and tried to drive away, only to crash into a light pole..

Herrera has prior arrests for DUI dating back to 2008, according to the SAPD. Now he is facing life in prison.

Irvine man who overdosed then got into a fatal DUI crash facing a murder charge

Posted on October 14, 2021 by Editor Posted in Crime, Drugs, Irvine, OCDA Leave a comment

SANTA ANA, Calif. — A 21-year-old man has been charged with murder for killing a 61-year-old woman while driving under the influence of drugs just hours after being released from the hospital following a fentanyl overdose. The driver had already been charged in a 2019 driving under the influence case in which he had been warned of the deadly dangers of driving under the influence.

Luis Marcial Diaz, 21, of Irvine, has been charged with one felony count of murder for killing Kyu Chen, 61, of Irvine, who was on her way to work.

Diaz faces a maximum sentence of 15 years to life if convicted. He is scheduled to be arraigned on October 14, 2021 in CJ1. He is currently being held at the Intake Release Center on $1 million bail.

Diaz was arrested Tuesday by the Irvine Police Department.

Just after 4 a.m. on September 27, 2021, Diaz is accused of running a stale red light at the intersection of Sand Canyon Road and Irvine Center Drive in the City of Irvine. Chen was driving through the intersection on a greenlight on her way to work when she was broadsided by Diaz’ vehicle. Chen later died.

On July 30, 2019, Diaz was arrested by the Huntington Beach Police Department on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs. He was charged with one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence of drugs, one misdemeanor count of possession of nitrous oxide, and one misdemeanor count of driving without a valid license. He pleaded not guilty to the three misdemeanor charges.

Drivers arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in California can be given what is known as a Watson advisement that informs them that if they kill someone while driving under the influence they can be charged with murder. Diaz received the Watson advisement in connection with his 2019 arrest for driving under the influence of drugs. The Steve Ambriz Act, authored by then-Assemblymember Todd Spitzer, requires people applying for a California driver’s license to sign a form acknowledging that they can be charged with murder if they kill someone while driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

“The Irvine Police Department is committed to holding accountable those who choose to drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” said Irvine Police Chief Michael Kent. “Mr. Diaz showed a complete lack of regard for the lives of others when he chose to get behind the wheel that Monday morning. Our hearts go out to Mrs. Chen’s family and we hope they get the justice they deserve for this tragic loss.”

“This is a tragedy that should have never happened,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “Just hours before Mrs. Chen was murdered, doctors managed to save the defendant from overdosing on drugs. Instead of taking that near-death experience to heart, he continued to engage in incredibly dangerous behavior and it cost Mrs. Chen her life. She was just driving to work and now she is dead. And the tragedy of it all, is she didn’t have to die. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office will do everything it can to ensure justice is done for Mrs. Chen and her loved ones – and to send a strong message to drivers that there are serious consequences for driving under the influence.”

Deputy District Attorney Casey Cunningham of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.

DUI suspected in evening collision at Edinger Avenue and Corta Drive

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Editor Posted in Accidents, Alcohol, Crime, Santa Ana, SAPD 1 Comment

On Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 8:52 PM, the Santa Ana Police Department received several calls of a traffic collision involving a white van and gray SUV at the intersection of Corta Drive and Edinger Avenue. Officers responded to the area and located the collision. Orange County Fire Authority personnel responded and began to treat both drivers. They were transported to an area hospital for further medical treatment, where the driver of the SUV remains in critical condition.

The preliminary investigation has revealed the SUV was traveling west on Edinger Avenue approaching Corta Drive. The van was traveling east on Edinger Avenue making a left turn onto Corta Drive. As the van made the left turn, it was struck by the SUV.

The driver of the van was identified as Angel Rodriguez from Santa Ana. He was arrested for felony DUI and transported to the Santa Ana Jail for booking.

The Santa Ana Police Department’s Collision Investigations Unit (CIU) is handling the investigation. Anyone possibly having information about this collision is asked to contact Investigator L. Bao at (714) 245-8223 or the Santa Ana Police Department’s Traffic Division at (714) 245-8200.

The passenger in a Costa Mesa fatal hit and run collision now facing charges and is a fugitive

Posted on May 11, 2021 by Editor Posted in Alcohol, Costa Mesa, Crime Leave a comment

Meghann Carrie Carlisle, of Costa Mesa, a 38-year-old woman, has been listed as a fugitive by the OCDA’s office in relation to a hit-and-run collision which killed Richard Frost, a 74-year-old man in Costa Mesa, on April 10, 2021. Carlisle was a passenger in the hit and run vehicle, which was driven by 28-year-old Costa Mesa resident Stewart Leacky Waithanji.

The OCDA is charging Carlisle with two felony counts of being an accessory to a crime after the fact and for her involvement in a hit-and-run collision causing serious or permanent injury.

Carlisle has also been charged with two misdemeanor counts of hit and run causing property damage, stemming from the hit and run incident.

Around 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 10, 2021, Costa Mesa police were called to the scene of a hit-and-run accident on Newport Boulevard south of 17^th Street with witnesses attempting stop the driver from leaving the scene. Officers found an injured 74-year-old man in the street. The man was treated by paramedics and taken to a local hospital where he died.

Witnesses reported the victim was attempting to stop the driver of a silver Chevy Malibu from leaving the scene when he was struck. The driver, later identified as Waithanji, continued driving. He was arrested a short time later in the parking lot of a Los Alamitos bar.

Waithanji was wanted on a warrant on a September 2019 driving under the influence case and also on second warrant for an October 2019 driving under the influence case. Court records maintained by the state of Iowa indicate Waithanji was convicted for first-, second- and third-degree DUI offenses committed in January and May of 2016 and November 2017, according to the L.A. Times.

Waithanji currently faces one count of felony murder, along with two felony charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and two misdemeanor charges related to property damage caused during the collision. He faces a maximum sentence of life if convicted of all charges, according to the OCDA.

Carlisle, who apparently has also used the surname Nguyen, was arrested and released on April 13, according to the OCDA. The OCDA complaint alleges that Carlisle was the owner of the Malibu driven during the incident. The OCDA alleges that she failed to stop and notify authorities or communicate with victims following the collision. She is also accused of unlawfully harboring, concealing and aiding Waithanji so he “might avoid and escape from arrest, trial, conviction and punishment for the felony.”

While the relationship between the two suspects is unknown, an online inmate locator maintained by the sheriff’s department lists Carlisle’s occupation as “receptionist,” while Waithanji is described as a “server.”

Waithanji is scheduled to be arraigned in court on May 12.