A convicted drunken driver who allegedly slammed into a vehicle stuck in rush hour traffic just east of Riverside, killing a 62-year-old man, must stand trial on second-degree murder and DUI charges, a judge ruled Monday.
Anthony Raymundo Lopez, 39, is accused of triggering a chain-reaction wreck that involved a total of seven vehicles, including his BMW sedan, last Sept. 20. Lamond Mansell of Temecula died at the scene and several others suffered minor injuries.
Following a preliminary hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice, Riverside County Superior Court Judge David Gunn found there was sufficient evidence to warrant a trial on the murder count, as well as gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving on a suspended license and a sentence-enhancing allegation of fleeing the scene of a crime.
Gunn scheduled a post-preliminary hearing arraignment for Aug. 27. Lopez is being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside.
California Highway Patrol Officer Dan Olivas said the ex-con was eastbound on Alessandro Boulevard, toward Interstate 215, in an unincorporated area between Riverside and Moreno Valley, when he began maneuvering erratically at high speed about 4:30 p.m. Sections of the six-lane route were undergoing repairs at the time, narrowing the drivable space on both sides of the roadway.
“As he approached stopped traffic (at the intersection of Alessandro and Meridian Parkway), Lopez lost control of his vehicle and collided with a Nissan sedan, which was being driven by the victim,” Olivas said.
He said the initial crash set off a chain-reaction collision that damaged five other vehicles.
Witnesses told investigators they thought Lopez might have been racing another driver, but CHP investigators ultimately determined that was not the case.
The defendant, who wasn’t hurt, allegedly attempted to run away from the scene but was stopped, investigators said.
According to court records, Lopez has had three separate misdemeanor DUI convictions in the last decade. Records also show felony convictions for spousal abuse, resisting arrest and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.