LAPD officer arrested after fiery freeway crash kills family
A crash on a California freeway left three family members dead. An LAPD officer was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
CBS Los Angeles
WHITTIER, Calif. -- An off-duty Los Angeles police officer was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after a fiery freeway crash that killed a family of three, police said.
The officer, Edgar Verduzco, was driving at a "high rate of speed" along Interstate 605 in Whittier Tuesday night when his vehicle slammed into the back of two cars, the California Highway Patrol said.
One of the cars burst into flames, killing a mother, father and their teenage son, Sgt. Saul Gomez said. Two people in the third car were injured.
The victims were identified as Mario, Maribel and Oscar Davila, CBS Los Angeles reports. A GoFundMe page has raised more than $4,300 for the family.
Mario, Maribel and Oscar Davila
CBS Los Angeles
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said Verduzco was an Army veteran who joined the force about two years ago. The officer has been placed on leave as the LAPD conducts an internal investigation, Beck said.
"I cannot tell you how angry and disappointed I am that a Los Angeles police officer would disregard the law and cause an accident with such awful, awful consequences," Beck said Wednesday. "My heart goes out to the victims and their families."
The officer's union said in a statement that if Verduzco is convicted, he "should suffer the consequences of his reckless actions."
Verduzco was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs causing bodily injury and is being held on $100,000 bail. He was taken to a hospital with major injuries, including a broken nose.
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An off-duty LAPD officer was arrested following a suspected DUI crash that killed a teenage boy and his parents on the 605 Freeway late Tuesday night, authorities said Wednesday.
Three people were killed in a fiery crash on the 605 Freeway that was triggered by a suspected DUI driver, according to CHP. .(Credit: OnScene.TV)
Edgar Verduzco, 26, was driving a 2016 Chevy Camaro “at a high rate of speed” on the southbound 605 when he rear-ended two vehicles — a 2014 Nissan and a 2010 Scion — south of Saragosa Street at around 10:15 p.m., according to a California Highway Patrol news release.
The impact caused the Nissan to catch fire and become fully engulfed in flames, trapping all three occupants inside. Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics arrived at the scene a short time later and pronounced all three dead, the release stated.
Their names have not been released by L.A. County coroner's officials, who told KTLA the bodies were very badly burned and it would take some time to identify them.
But family members confirmed they were parents Maribel and Mario Davila and their teenage son, Oscar. The Riverside family includes three other sons, all older than Oscar, who were not involved in the crash.
The Scion driver, identified only as a 31-year-old woman, suffered minor injuries in the collision. It was unclear whether she was taken to a hospital.
Verduzco, who sustained a broken nose in the collision, was arrested, the release stated. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash, according to CHP.
Shortly before the crash, video posted on his Instagram account had the hashtag #dontdrinkanddrive. It was apparently filmed at a bar, and beer glasses could be seen in the background.
Authorities were investigating a triple fatal crash on the 605 Freeway in Whittier on Sept. 26, 2017. (Credit: KTLA)
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and vehicular manslaughter, Perez said. He is being held on $100,000 bail, inmate records showed.
Verduzco is an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department who was off-duty at the time, according to CHP.
“I cannot tell you how angry and disappointed I am that a Los Angeles police officer would disregard the law and cause an accident with such awful, awful consequences," LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said during an early-afternoon news conference, where he delivered brief remarks about the arrest.
Verduzco worked in the department for about two years, Beck said, describing his time at LAPD as "unremarkable." The officer came to the department from the U.S. Army, where he had served for about four years.
The chief added that he believed Verduzco had served in Afghanistan.
Earlier Beck released a statement regarding the crash, saying that the department sends its "deepest sympathies" to the family, and that an administrative investigation is underway.
"The Department has no tolerance for driving under the influence and holds its officers to the highest standards of professionalism both on and off-duty," he wrote in the statement. "It is particularly troubling when one of our own police officers violates drunk driving laws, which is why a drunk driving offense always results in a personnel complaint which can lead to dismissal."
The crash, which remains under investigation, prompted the hourslong closure of the 605 Freeway overnight. All lanes were reopened Wednesday morning.