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Service held for fallen LASD recruit
Alejandro Martinez was killed by a wrong-way driver during a training session last year.
LOS ANGELES - A young man was charged with 10 felonies and a misdemeanor for allegedly striking a group of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department recruits in Whittier last November, including a 27-year-old aspiring deputy who died from his injuries earlier this year, authorities announced Thursday.
Nicholas Joseph Gutierrez, now 23, is facing one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and nine counts of reckless driving causing great bodily injury, according to the District Attorney's Office. He also faces a misdemeanor county of vehicular manslaughter with simple negligence.
He is expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Bellflower.
The charges stem from a Nov. 16, 2022, crash that occurred around 6:30 a.m. in the 10600 block of Mills Avenue, near Telegraph Road, just blocks from the sheriff's STAR Explorer Academy law enforcement training center in Whittier. A group of about 75 law enforcement trainees were on an organized run heading north when a southbound SUV swerved to the opposite side of the road and plowed into the recruits, leaving a trail of injured bodies.
The crash injured 25 recruits, sheriff's officials said at the time.
One of them, Alejandro Martinez, 27, was severely injured and died July 28 at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Westwood.
The motorist who struck the cadets, Nicholas Joseph Gutierrez, now 23, of Diamond Bar, told reporters in 2022 that he fell asleep at the wheel.
Gutierrez was arrested hours after the crash and booked on suspicion of attempted murder of a peace officer, but was released a day later with sheriff's officials saying the complex case needed more extensive investigation.
He was re-arrested this week upon the filing of charges, according to the California Highway Patrol. It was unclear if he was still in custody.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn issued a statement Thursday reacting to the charges, saying, "What happened to recruit class #464 on their morning run last year was a terrible tragedy that took the life of Alejandro Martinez and forever altered the lives of his fellow recruits. While it won't bring Alejandro back, it is important that the driver be held accountable, and these charges are the first step. I appreciate our sheriff's detectives and the District Attorney's Office for their dedication to pursuing justice in this case."