LOS ANGELES – A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy who was involved in an off-duty traffic fatality in the city of South Gate in November 2021 has been arrested and charged with murder.
Ricardo Castro, 28, was arrested Tuesday by the South Gate Police Department and booked at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility for the high-speed crash that killed a 12-year-old boy. His bail is set at more than $2 million, KTLA reported.
The off-duty deputy was reportedly traveling at about 90 mph in his pickup truck at the moment of impact. The street was subject to a 25 mph speed limit since it was in a school zone, according to the the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, reported the Los Angeles Times.
During the afternoon of Nov. 3, 2021, Isaiah Suarez Rodriguez and his sister, Alexa, were in a car on San Juan Avenue near the intersection with Firestone Avenue. Castro reportedly struck their vehicle broadside with his truck, according to video of the horrific collision and a GoFundMe set up for the family.
Isaiah died at a local hospital shortly after the traffic fatality, while Alexa and three adults survived their injuries, according to the South Gate Police Department.
Castro is facing charges that include murder, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and reckless driving causing great bodily injury, the DA’s office announced.
“The deputy showed a conscious disregard for the lives and safety of the people of South Gate by recklessly speeding on a busy street,” DA George Gascón said in a press release. “The behavior is even more confounding since this happened in an area designated as a zone where school children were present.”
Castro had previously received several traffic citations and been involved in multiple collisions, Gascón said during Wednesday’s press conference, which also included the Rodriguez family and South Gate Police Chief Darren Arakawa.
Chief Arakawa said the charges were the result of a 16-month investigation by his department, the Times reported.
“We feel confident that the overwhelming and strong evidence that was gathered justifies the charges and will speak for itself in the courtroom,” Arakawa said.
“This should’ve never happened … When he was in the hospital, there were so many doctors there to tell me, ‘Sorry, we did everything we could,’” Rodriguez’s mother said.
Castro faces 25 years to life in prison if he’s convicted of the charges.
