Murder and carjacking charges were filed Wednesday against a teenage boy who allegedly jumped into a Nissan Altima owned by a 19- year-old man, who tried to hang onto the car door and was thrown off when the sedan crashed into a Boyle Heights business and burst into flames.
Jorge Ruiz, 17, is charged in adult court with one count each of murder and carjacking in the death of Oscar Perez last Sunday.
Ruiz could face a maximum of life in prison without the possibility of parole if he is convicted of the charges, and jurors find true a special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission of a carjacking. He cannot face the death penalty because of his age.
Perez had been involved in a collision with a 16-year-old driver and was outside his car, trying to get the teenager’s information, when Ruiz allegedly got into the Altima — which had been left running — and drove away, authorities said.
Perez managed to hang onto the driver’s side door as Ruiz drove for about a half-mile at a high rate of speed, according to prosecutors. The car crashed into a building at 3544 E. Olympic Blvd. and erupted into flames.
Perez died at the scene, and Ruiz suffered major injuries, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
It was not immediately clear when Ruiz would be arraigned.
— City News Service