A 44-year-old man pleaded guilty Friday and was immediately sentenced to six years in prison for an alcohol-fueled crash that killed a motorcyclist in Fullerton.
Francisco Garcia-Vargas of Fullerton accepted a plea deal from prosecutors. He was given credit for 277 days in jail.
The defendant pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury and driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of .08%. He also admitted sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury on the victim.
The collision occurred about 9:45 p.m. June 12 at West Orangethorpe Avenue and South Gilbert Street, according to Kristy Wells, a spokeswoman for the Fullerton Police Department.
The motorcyclist killed in the collision was 28-year-old Alexander Marce of Anaheim.
Marce, who was riding a Harley Davidson, was idling at a red light on Orangethorpe in the eastbound number two lane at Gilbert Street when Garcia-Vargas, who was behind the wheel of a 1999 BMW 323i, rear-ended the motorcyclist without stopping, Wells said. Prosecutors said the defendant ran a red light at a speed exceeding 100 mph, with a blood-alcohol content at nearly three times the legal limit.
Garcia-Vargas kept going with the motorcycle wedged under the vehicle, Wells said. The motorcyclist was ejected into the air.
Witnesses trailed the BMW and held the driver at the scene until police arrived, Wells said.
Six years is pathetic