Crime & Safety
East Bay Man Gets Prison For DUI Crash That Killed Cyclist: Report
The victim's sister said the defendant "created a void that no amount of time can fill," according to an East Bay Times report.
HAYWARD, CA — An East Bay man who was drunk when he led police on a pursuit that ended in a deadly crash in 2024 has been sentenced to prison, according to a report from the East Bay Times.
Police tried pulling over Christian Garcia, 29, of Hayward, during the early hours of Dec. 7, 2024, but he refused, prompting a chase into unincorporated Ashland, according to the report.
The pursuing officer testified he decided to end the chase when he felt it was getting too unsafe, according to the report.
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Moments later, Garcia struck 39-year-old Brien Anthony Yungling, who was riding a bicycle with his chihuahua, according to the report.
Garcia, who police say evidence shows was drunk when the crash happened, pleaded no contest to vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and was sentenced to six years in state prison, according to the report.
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"He didn’t just take a life, he erased an entire future for his family and created a void that no amount of time can fill," Yungling’s sister, Lalita Saunders, said at a hearing, according to the East Bay Times. "I’ve heard people say that time heals, but it don’t."
Read more from the East Bay Times.
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