A 19-year-old male would need representation from auto accident attorneys to answer the charges against him for causing a collision that killed Angelica Gonzalez, 30. On Wednesday, September 2nd, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Isaiah Lono of Hawthorne crashed a stolen truck into the victim’s car in Gardena, California.
The defendant, who also goes by Isaiah Portillo, faces a murder charge, including one count each of fleeing from the scene of a fatal collision, grand theft of a vehicle — a 2018 Dodge Ram 3500, and three misdemeanor counts of hit-and-run driving resulting in property damage.
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The DA’s office also charged him with one misdemeanor count of driving when the privilege is suspended or revoked. Lono pleaded not guilty to the offenses on Tuesday, September 1st. Deputy District Attorney Katherine Yaske said the teenager stole the Dodge outside an auto shop on Saturday, August 29th.
Soon after, he crashed the vehicle into several others while speeding away. The defendant allegedly ran a red light and crashed into the car driven by Gonzalez near Redondo Beach Boulevard and Vermont Avenue.
Yaske said that Lono tried to flee the crash site on foot, but good samaritans surrounded him and prevented his escape until the police arrived. The teenager is in jail on a $2 million bail bond, and he could face 18 years to life imprisonment if found guilty and convicted of the offense. There is no additional information at this time.
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