A 39-year-old Norwalk man pleaded guilty Friday and was immediately sentenced to six years in prison for an alcohol-fueled crash that killed a pedestrian in Anaheim.
Officers who responded to the intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Katella Avenue about 1:15 a.m. Jan. 6 found the victim, Uriel Hernandez Gonzalez, who was wearing a security guard uniform, down in a marked crosswalk.
A white Astro van driven by Moises Lopez Santiago was located about a block away, crashed head-on into a palm tree in front of the Islander Inn and Suites at 424 W. Katella Ave., said Anaheim Police Department Sgt. Jacob Gallacher.
Santiago drove through a red light before striking the victim, who was walking southbound in a crosswalk on Harbor Boulevard and was “thrown quite a distance,” Gallacher said.
Santiago pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, driving with a blood-alcohol level exceeding the legal limit or more causing injury, all felonies.
Santiago admitted sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury. He accepted a plea deal from Orange County Superior Court Judge Gassia Apkarian.
Santiago was given credit for 664 days behind bars.