A Long Beach man who is accused of intentionally running over and killing his 89-year-old father with a vehicle pleaded not guilty Wednesday to a murder charge.
Robert Daniel Porter, 50, is charged in connection with the March 7 death of his father, William Porter, also of Long Beach.
The criminal complaint includes allegations that the defendant personally used a deadly weapon and that he has a prior strike, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
The Long Beach Police Department said officers responded at about 1:50 p.m. that day to the 600 block of West Wardlow Road, near Magnolia Avenue, regarding a family disturbance involving the father and son.
Officers found the 89-year-old man pinned underneath a vehicle in front of a residence.
“Officers attempted to rescue the elderly man with the assistance of nearby residents, who assisted by providing a floor jack, which officers used to raise the vehicle high enough to extricate the victim until Long Beach Fire Department personnel arrived,” police said.
“Once extricated, Long Beach Fire Department personnel rendered aid to the injured man. However, they determined the man deceased at the scene.”
Police said a preliminary investigation indicated that the vehicle’s driver intentionally struck the man and that the victim’s son remained at the scene, where he was later taken into custody.
The younger Porter is due back in a Long Beach courtroom May 27, when a date is scheduled to be set for a hearing to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to allow the case against him to proceed to trial, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.