A suspected drunk driver was charged Tuesday, April 14, with two counts of murder in connection with a crash that killed two pedestrians in North Hollywood.
“This is an outrageous and preventable loss of two lives,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. “This defendant is accused of getting behind the wheel drunk, speeding through a neighborhood and killing two people. That kind of reckless disregard for human life demands accountability and we will pursue it to the fullest extent of the law.”
Vidal Cruz Jr. of Pacoima is charged with two counts of murder. He pleaded not guilty to both counts. His preliminary hearing setting is scheduled for May 27 in the Van Nuys Courthouse. His bail was set at $4 million.
At approximately 2:25 a.m. on April 12, Cruz is accused of speeding on Colfax Avenue, north of Calvert Street in North Hollywood, while under the influence, when he struck a man and woman who had just exited their parked vehicle and were standing at the shoulder of the road.
Nefi Lopez Gutierrez, 35, of El Monte, died at the scene. Azusena Gonzalez, 50, of North Hollywood, was taken to a hospital where she died from her injuries.
Cruz is further accused of crashing into the victims’ vehicle, which contained three occupants who sustained injuries. He allegedly continued driving northeast before entering a private driveway where he collided with unoccupied parked vehicles and a house. No one at the residence was injured.
If convicted as charged, Cruz faces up to life in state prison.