Los Angeles Deputy Ricardo Castro is charged with one count of manslaughter, one count of murder, and one count of reckless driving with enhancements for grave bodily injury. Castro was involved in a fatal collision in 2021, killing a 12-year-old boy and injuring two others. Castro appeared in court on Wednesday and remained in custody with a $2.3 million bail.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said during a press conference Wednesday that Castro is charged with the first three counts for the death of Isaiah Rodriguez. And the driving with an enhancement for the two surviving victims – Alexa Rodriguez, older sister of Isaiah, and Castro’s passenger.
According to Fox News Los Angeles, Rodriguez was driving a Mercedes in the suburb of South Gate on November 3, 2021. Betsabe Suarez, the mother of Rodriguez, said that on the day of the collision, the boy and his sister were headed to a store to buy a ruler for a classmate who was being bullied.
NBC News reported the incident occurred before 4 p.m. when Castro drove a Ford pickup at 95 mph and hit Rodriguez’s Mercedes while turning left at the intersection of Firestone Boulevard and San Juan Avenue.
Deputy Ricardo Castro is charged with murder and manslaughter for the death of Isaiah Rodriguez (left) after the 2021 fatal collision (right). (Photo: KABC screengrab)
South Gate Police Chief Arakawa said the crash propelled the Mercedes and caused the pickup to roll, leading to Isaiah’s death and injuring his sister and Castro’s passenger.
Gascón revealed that Castro was involved in multiple collisions and received several traffic tickets, including speeding citations. Castro was also involved in a fatal collision three months before Rodriguez’s incident.
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