Case # 20WF1752
Driver Charged with Gross Vehicular Manslaughter, Driving Under the Influence of Drugs and Alcohol in Crash that Killed 25-year-old Friend
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A 21-year-old Moreno Valley man has been charged with felony gross vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol for crashing into a light pole in Huntington Beach and killing his friend who was riding in the front seat of the vehicle. The passenger was partially ejected from the vehicle.
Miguel Angel Guzman, Jr. is being charged with one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence while intoxicated, one felony count of driving under the influence of alcohol causing bodily injury, one felony count of driving with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit of .08%, one felony count of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs causing bodily injury. He is also charged with three felony enhancements of great bodily injury and one felony enhancement of personally inflicting great bodily injury.
Guzman is scheduled to be arraigned on September 11, 2020 in CJ1. He is currently being held on $100,000 bail. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison if convicted on all charges.
Just after midnight on August 23, 2020, Guzman was driving near the area of Springdale Street and W. McFadden Avenue when he is accused of driving over a turning median and crashing into a light pole. His passenger, 25-year-old Lance Jones, was partially ejected. He was rushed to UCI Medical Center where he died.
“If you drink or use drugs, don’t drive. The life you save maybe someone else’s, or it may be your own,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “There are too many young people in Orange County losing their lives in traffic collisions as a result of drugs and alcohol. The death of an innocent person doesn’t just prevent them from realizing their hopes and dreams; it prevents their friends, their families and everyone around them from having a person they love and care about in their lives. The loss of a loved one causes a ripple effect across entire communities that will never heal. Don’t be the reason a parent has to bury their child or a child has to bury their parent because you were selfish and got behind the wheel drunk or high.”
Over the last month the Orange County District Attorney’s Office has filed numerous cases involving fatal DUI crashes. District Attorney Spitzer has declared Orange County is facing a serious crisis that has resulted in the senseless deaths of so many innocent people. In response, District Attorney Spitzer is convening a meeting next week with local law enforcement leaders, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the state Office of Traffic Safety, and statewide trainers to address what can be done to stop this disturbing trend and save additional lives.
Deputy District Attorney Avery Harrison of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.