LA Deputy Arrested On Suspicion Of Murder In Crash That Killed Boy, 12

LOS ANGELES, CA — A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy has been arrested on suspicion of murder and vehicular manslaughter in connection with a high-speed crash that killed a 12-year-old boy in South Gate.

Ricardo Castro, 28, was arrested Tuesday and is being held on $2 million bail. With his arrest, Castro has been relieved of duty, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Maria Lucero confirmed. He had been receiving pay but was administratively removed from field duties following the 2021 crash.

According to South Gate police, Castro was driving at a high rate of speed when his truck T-boned a car turning left at an intersection, killing Isaiah Rodriguez and seriously injuring his sister Alexa, 19. Castro, who was off-duty at the time of the Nov. 3 crash.

An investigation showed that the off-duty deputy may have been traveling at speeds nearing 95 mph in a 25 mph school zone as he approached the busy intersection of Firestone Boulevard and San Juan Avenue, where the boy's sister was waiting to make a left turn at about 3:55 p.m. that afternoon, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said at a news conference in South Gate.

"Driving at 95 miles per hour was nearly quadruple the speed limit when school children are present ..." the district attorney told reporters, adding that it shows a "conscious disregard for those children's lives."

Castro's driving history revealed that he has been involved in "multiple collisions" and received several traffic tickets, including for speeding, the district attorney said.

"Mr. Castro was also involved as a passenger in a fatal traffic collision just three months prior to this fatal collision," Gascón said.

The district attorney noted that Castro received rigorous training through his work as a sheriff's deputy and had significant personal and professional knowledge about the dangers of driving at an excessive speed.

"Mr. Castro's recklessness ended the life of a boy with an entire future ahead of him and destroyed a family," Gascón said. "This tragedy was preventable and should have never happened."

South Gate Police Chief Darren Arakawa said the boy was an "innocent child" who "didn't stand a chance in that crash."

The Los Angeles Sheriff's Department declined to comment on the investigation but issued a statement regarding Castro's arrest.

"Our department is aware of an incident in which one of our personnel was involved in an off-duty fatal collision in the city of South Gate," said Lucero. "Sheriff Robert luna expects all members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to hold themselves to the highest ethical and professional standards. Criminal misconduct will not be tolerated, and department members who allegedly violate the law will be held accountable."

City News Service contributed to this report.