A 22-year-old Fullerton man was sentenced Thursday to 11 years in prison for a crash last year in Fullerton that killed his 20-year-old passenger.
Sergio Steven Sevilla pleaded guilty in June to gross vehicular manslaughter for the July 2, 2017, death of Gabriel Ventura of Fullerton. He also admitted in his plea June 26 that he fled the scene of the crash.
Sevilla was driving a black 2013 Volkswagen Jetta eastbound on Garnet Lane when he tried to turn north onto Sapphire Road and lost control of the car about 9:15 p.m. The Volkswagen hit the curb, causing it to roll over several times and partially eject Ventura, who was in the front passenger seat, police said.
Sevilla had gotten into an argument with his girlfriend and assaulted her just prior to the crash, according to police, who said he fled the crash scene and called authorities hours later to turn himself in. After being charged and released on bail, he fled to Mexico, according to court documents.
Sevilla pleaded guilty on Aug. 18, 2017, to misdemeanor counts of drunken driving and reckless driving in a separate case and was ordered to perform 49 hours of community service, according to court records.