A California man has entered a guilty plea in connection with a devastating wrong-way collision that resulted in the death of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s recruit and left numerous others injured during a training exercise.
Nicholas Gutierrez, 25, of Diamond Bar, California, admitted guilt on Monday to charges including vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and nine counts of reckless driving causing injuries, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The court sentenced him to an eight-year suspended prison term along with five years of probation.
The incident occurred over three years ago in 2022 when Gutierrez’s SUV crossed into oncoming traffic in the Whittier area, striking 25 law enforcement recruits who were participating in a morning training run. At the time of the collision, 76 recruits from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and various local police departments were running together in formation along the roadway.
Investigators concluded that Gutierrez had apparently dozed off behind the wheel before the crash occurred. The collision left ten recruits with severe injuries, including Alejandro Martinez, who succumbed to his injuries eight months following the incident.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman described the guilty plea as representing “a step toward justice and a measure of closure for the victims and their families whose lives have been forever changed.”
Efforts to reach Gutierrez’s former defense attorney, Alexandra Kazarian, for comment were unsuccessful.
