A former Downey police officer has now been charged in a Long Beach hit-and-run accident. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office officially announced on Friday, October 2, that Peter Mendoza has been formally charged.
Mendoza had been involved in a crash that took place back in 2018. According to the details shared by the authorities, he was driving a truck in the Lakewood area when the accident occurred on October 22, 2018. Mendoza was a Downey police officer at the time, although he was off-duty when the incident happened.
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As Mendoza drove on the freeway ramp, his truck collided with a second vehicle. This second vehicle then crashed into a third vehicle due to the impact of the collision. The occupants of both vehicles sustained injuries although their injuries were non-life-threatening.
The injured parties claimed that Mendoza had deliberately rammed his truck into their vehicle in a demonstration of road rage. Mendoza left the scene of the crash following the incident which turned the crash into a hit-and-run.
On September 17, the District Attorney’s Office filed for a warrant in his case. The charges against him were brought on the basis of the investigations concluded by the California Highway Patrol. The charges include one count of hit-and-run with injury and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon.
Mendoza may stay behind bars for several years based on these charges. He is likely to spend eight months in a state prison and a maximum period of up to 5 years in prison in general. Subsequent accident reports may reveal the actual sentence he receives.
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