ABC-7 Listens: Identification of wrong-way driver withheld
Many ABC-7 viewers are wondering why police haven’t identified or charged the wrong-way driver involved in a deadly car crash last week.
It happened on the early hours of Nov. 14 on the eastbound lanes of Interstate-10 near the Zaragoza Road exit. The wrong-way driver was heading west when he crashed head-on into 29-year-old Gabriel Morales, killing him.
Video of the wreck showed a mangled mess left behind.
Since the crash, police have only identified the wrong-way driver as a 49-year-old man. A spokesman said police can’t release his name because at this point he’s not facing criminal charges.
ABC-7 believes it knows the name of the driver, but is waiting on confirmation from police.
ABC-7 asked whether this crash was different from other car crashes where the passengers and drivers are immediately identified. The police spokesman said they can’t identify “suspects,” and that is what the wrong-way driver is considered.
When asked why he wasn’t charged for driving the wrong way, police said the district attorney could be seeking a more serious charge, like DWI intoxication manslaughter. Police are still waiting for toxicology results.
Police said if they charges were filed for driving the wrong way, they could get into legal issues involving double jeopardy, when you subject a person to a second trial for the same offense for which the person has already been tried or punished.
