FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Case # 18NF0496
Date: February 21, 2018
DRUNKEN DRIVER CHARGED WITH MURDER FOR KILLING 6-YEAR-OLD GIRL PLAYING ON THE SIDEWALK IN FULLERTON
SANTA ANA, Calif. – A drunken driver was charged today with murder for killing a 6-year-old girl who was playing on a residential sidewalk in Fullerton when the defendant crashed into her.
|
Defendant |
Charges |
Maximum Sentence |
Court Date |
|
Maximino Delgado Lagunas, 53, Anaheim |
Charged today with the following felony counts:
|
15 years to life in state prison |
Continued arraignment
March 9, 2018, 10:00 a.m.
Department CJ-1, Central Jail, Santa Ana |
Circumstances of the Case
- On Feb. 17, 2018, at approximately 2:25 p.m., Lagunas is accused of driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.23 percent down a residential street in Fullerton.
- The defendant is accused of driving eastbound on Gage Avenue in a small SUV and losing control of the vehicle as he attempted to make a left turn onto Lombard Street.
- Lagunas is accused of driving onto the sidewalk and striking 6-year-old Jane Doe, who was playing outside.
- The defendant’s vehicle came to rest after striking a parked car.
- Witnesses called the Fullerton Police Department, who investigated this case and arrested the defendant at the scene.
- Emergency medical responders transported the victim to a local hospital where she was pronounced deceased as a result of injuries sustained in the collision.
- Lagunas has a prior DUI conviction in 2015 in Orange County. The defendant completed a DUI class and received a Watson advisement, which gave him prior knowledge that he could be charged with murder if he killed a person while driving under the influence.
Prosecutor: Senior Deputy District Attorney Daniel Feldman, Homicide Unit