LONG BEACH, CA — The mother of a 15-year-old boy killed while sitting at a Long Beach bus stop came face to face with the driver responsible for his death as he was released from jail last week, telling him she had chosen to forgive him.
Jacob Bustillos, 21, of Compton, was sentenced Wednesday to three years of probation after completing six months in jail for the June 11, 2025, crash that killed Lakewood High School student Carlos Ramirez, according to the Long Beach Post.
Carlos' mother, Monica Gonzalez, watched from the courtroom as Bustillos was formally sentenced before speaking with him outside court, the Post reported.
Gonzalez told Bustillos she forgave him. Moments later, she and Bustillos' mother shared a tearful hug.
"I don't know how you're doing it," Bustillos' mother told Gonzalez, according to the Post.
"As a mom, that's what we have to do," Gonzalez replied.
The sentencing came more than a year after the fatal East Long Beach crash at Carson Street and Palo Verde Avenue.
Long Beach police said Bustillos was driving a 2010 Infiniti G37 west on Carson Street shortly before 3 p.m. when he failed to stop for a red traffic signal and collided with a 2010 Toyota Prius traveling south on Palo Verde Avenue. The Prius had entered the intersection on a green light, according to police.
The force of the collision caused the Infiniti to skid and overturn before going onto the northwest sidewalk, where it struck Carlos as he sat at the bus stop. Carlos was taken to a hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Police said immediately after the crash that speed appeared to be a factor. Prosecutors later said Bustillos had been traveling 57 mph in a 40 mph zone, according to the Post.
Bustillos was charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and faced up to six years in prison if convicted.
Court records reviewed by the Long Beach Post showed that Bustillos accepted a plea agreement from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office in late January and agreed to plead no contest in exchange for six months in jail and three years of probation.
The agreement also requires Bustillos to complete a reckless driving intervention program and a two-day program that includes visits to a hospital and a morgue. He surrendered at the Long Beach courthouse Feb. 26 to begin serving his jail sentence, according to the Post.
Before Bustillos was formally sentenced Wednesday, Carlos' uncle, Jaime Villanueva, told the court that his nephew's death had changed the way he drives.
Villanueva said he previously would accelerate when he saw a traffic light turn yellow but no longer does, and urged Bustillos to remember Carlos whenever he gets behind the wheel.
More than a year after losing her oldest son, Gonzalez told the Post she still avoids routes that take her through the intersection where Carlos died. His younger siblings, ages 9 and 8, also continue to grieve.
Gonzalez said she relied on her faith in deciding to forgive Bustillos and continued to think of him as a young man devastated by what he had done.
Carlos had been waiting for the bus after walking a friend home when he was killed, according to the Post.
His mother remembered him as a driven Lakewood High School student who loved anime, sang Frank Sinatra songs and hoped to join the military after graduation. She said he had a "heart of gold" and was quick to comfort friends and help people in need.
Bustillos had been studying to become a teacher before the crash, his mother told the Post. While incarcerated, he considered joining the military before learning his felony conviction made him ineligible.
Both families now hope Carlos' death will persuade other drivers to consider the potentially deadly consequences of speeding.
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