A suspected drunken driver was charged Tuesday with murder for allegedly crashing his speeding car into two pedestrians after they got out of their parked vehicle in North Hollywood, killing both.
Vidal Cruz Jr., 31, of Pacoima, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the charges that could carry a potential life prison term if he is convicted as charged, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Cruz — whom Los Angeles police said was driving a gray Acura northbound on Colfax Avenue — was allegedly speeding while under the influence when he struck a man and woman who had just gotten out of their vehicle and were standing at the shoulder of the street at about 2:25 a.m. Sunday, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Nefi Lopez Gutierrez, 35, of El Monte died at the scene, and Azusena Gonzalez, 50, of North Hollywood was taken to a hospital, where she died from her injuries, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Three people who were still inside the white Toyota Camry were injured in the crash, and Cruz allegedly continued driving northeast before entering a private driveway where he allegedly collided with unoccupied parked vehicles and a house, according to the District Attorney’s Office, which said no one at the home was injured.
“The investigation revealed that Cruz was driving at an unsafe speed and under the influence of alcohol,” the Los Angeles Police Department said.
In a statement announcing the charges, District Attorney Nathan Hochman said the case stemmed from “a outrageous and preventable loss of two lives.”
“This defendant is accused of getting behind the wheel drunk, speeding through a neighborhood and killing two people. That kind of reckless disregard for human life demands accountability and we will pursue it to the fullest extent of the law,” the district attorney added.
Cruz has remained behind bars in lieu of $4 million bail since his arrest early Sunday morning, according to jail records.
He is due back in a Van Nuys courtroom May 27. A date is scheduled to be set then for a hearing to determine if there is sufficient evidence to allow the case against him to proceed to trial.