‘Devastated’: Los Angeles Cop Hit 19-Year-Old with His Car While Driving Drunk, Then Left Him to Die In the Street and Fled to His Girlfriend’s House Instead, Prosecutors Say
A Los Angeles cop faces charges after allegedly hitting a man while he was driving drunk, then fleeing the scene to his girlfriend’s home and leaving the victim to die in the street.
Carlos Gonzalo Coronel, 40, was charged with multiple felonies, including DUI causing great bodily injury and hit and run with permanent injury or death.
According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, the deadly collision happened at 3:41 a.m. on Feb. 1 in Tustin, California.
Prosecutors say that Coronel got behind the wheel of his pickup truck early that morning to head to his girlfriend’s house after a night of drinking with his brother-in-law.
While he was driving, Coronel allegedly struck 19-year-old Imanol Salvador Gonzalez, who was walking in the street near an intersection.
According to prosecutors, Coronel didn’t stop to see what he hit or call 911 to report the crash, even though his truck sustained significant front-end damage. He only continued driving to his girlfriend’s home.
Just minutes after the crash, two people who were on their way home from work found Gonzalez’s body lying in the middle of the road and called police.
When Coronel got to his girlfriend’s home, she ended up driving him to his home, but prosecutors say he instructed her to avoid the road where the fatal collision took place.
The DA’s office added that he later drove past the crime scene where police were investigating without stopping to inform them he had been involved in a crash at that same location.
Coronel’s internet search history also revealed that he tried to look up articles online to check if news outlets reported a fatal hit-and-run on the road where he’s accused of hitting Gonzalez.
Coronel was arrested a day after the crash after investigators found debris from his truck at the scene. Police determined the suspect vehicle was a black 2021 Chevrolet Silverado and discovered Coronel was the registered owner.
Gonzalez’s family called for justice after the cop was booked into jail.
“He’s supposed to be protecting us, protecting the people, not killing,” Gonzalez’s father, Rodeo Calba, told KABC in February.
Friends of the family set up a GoFundMe to raise money for Gonzalez’s funeral expenses.
“His life was tragically cut short at the tender age of 19 years old by a hit-and-run vehicle,” the page reads. “His family is devastated and is going through a lot of financial and emotional hardship.”
Coronel is a sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department.
When asked about his charges, LAPD told McClatchy News, “We do not tolerate misconduct of any kind, and any violations of department policies or the public trust are taken seriously.”
If Coronel is convicted on all counts, he could face up to nearly seven years in prison.
“Our law enforcement officers are entrusted with the highest level of public trust, and it is unconscionable that an officer who swore an oath to protect and serve would leave a man to die in the street after hitting him while driving under the influence of alcohol,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “Imanol was loved by his family, and he did not deserve to have his story end lying in the middle of a dark Tustin street alone while the police officer who hit him drove away because his self-preservation was more important than a human life.”
In 2011, Coronel was charged with misdemeanor DUI after he was involved in another hit-and-run. He pleaded no contest. He was called back to court earlier this year to answer for a probation violation in that case after failing to pay fines and complete his community service.