The Orange County District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges against a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer accused of killing a 19-year-old while under the influence in a fatal hit-and-run, a spokesperson for the district attorney’s office confirmed with L.A. TACO.
On February 1, LAPD Sergeant Carlos Coronel was arrested when he showed up for work at LAPD’s Newton Division, after allegedly driving into 19-year-old Imanol Salvador Gonzalez, while off-duty, before fleeing the scene, the L.A. Times reported.
“The recent hit-and-run was rejected for filing and returned to the Tustin Police Department for further investigation,” Public Information Officer Kimberly Edds wrote in an email to L.A. TACO on February 6. “They will complete their investigation and resubmit it to us for consideration of filing charges. We must be able to prove a crime occurred beyond a reasonable doubt.”
At this time, Coronel faces no charges, Ebbs confirmed.
The Tustin Police Department said they are conducting further investigation to resubmit the case. A spokesperson for the department did not respond to a request for comment.
Coronel is at least the second LAPD officer in a little over a month to be arrested for an alleged drunk driving fatality. On Christmas Eve, LAPD Officer Aaron Kleibacker killed a bicyclist while driving under the influence, according to the Ontario Police Department.
When asked about Coronel’s arrest, LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell told the Los Angeles Times:
“Let me be clear: the actions alleged in this case are absolutely unacceptable. Sergeant Coronel’s alleged involvement in a felony hit-and-run is not only disturbing, but it betrays the trust of the public and the oath we take as law enforcement officers. There is no tolerance for criminal behavior within this Department, and I want to assure the community that we will continue to cooperate with the Tustin Police Department and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office as their investigation continues.”
McDonnell did not comment on the D.A.’s decision to reject the case for filing.
This is not the first time that Coronel has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Orange County, according to court records.
In November of 2011 he pleaded no contest to driving under the influence after being arrested two months earlier.
Sergeant Coronel joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 2008, according to department records.
Three days after the fatal hit-and-run, Coronel appeared in an Orange County court room for a probation hearing related to his 2011 case, court records show.
Coronel was given credit for time served for his probation violation and was bailed out of custody, according to the district attorney spokesperson.
Meanwhile, a friend of Imanol Salvador Gonzalez’s mother, who set up a GoFundMe on their behalf, says the 19-year-old’s family is “devastated” by the loss of Imanol and are currently facing “financial and emotional hardship.”
"I have a hole in my heart,” Gonzalez’s mother told ABC7 during an emotional interview. “My son never came back home from his walk."
"Police are supposed to be protecting us, not killing us," Gonzalez’s father said.
Gonzalez’s family is seeking to raise $7,000 via a GoFundMe campaign to cover funeral costs.
