A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy has been arrested on suspicion of murder and vehicular manslaughter after a high-speed crash that killed a 12-year-old boy more than a year ago.
Ricardo Castro, 28, is accused of speeding in his pickup truck on Nov. 3, 2021, when he T-boned a car turning left at an intersection, killing Isaiah Rodriguez in that vehicle’s passenger seat and injuring the boy’s 19-year-old sister, according to authorities. Castro was off duty at the time of the crash.
Isaiah died at a Long Beach hospital, and his sister was treated for broken bones.
South Gate police took Castro into custody Tuesday evening, according to booking records. He is being held in lieu of $2.03-million bail at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility near downtown Los Angeles.
Castro was charged Tuesday with murder, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and reckless driving. South Gate police and the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office are planning a news conference Wednesday with further details of the charges and allegations.
The high-speed crash at the intersection of San Juan Avenue and Firestone Boulevard was captured on surveillance video. Footage shows the car being struck, spun around and tossed by the impact.
The road is marked for 35 mph, but because it is a school zone a 25 mph speed limit would have been in place at the time of the 4 p.m. crash.
According to law enforcement sources, Castro’s pickup reached speeds in excess of 90 mph on a city street in the moments before the deadly impact.
To get a second-degree murder conviction, L.A. County prosecutors in such a case must prove that the off-duty deputy acted with implied malice and knew driving at such excessive speed was dangerous to human life. It is the same kind of murder charge filed against Hidden Hills socialite Rebecca Grossman, who is accused of running down two boys in a Westlake Village crosswalk while going more than 70 mph.
Aerial television video from the day of the South Gate crash showed the overturned vehicle came to a stop at least 75 feet from the point of impact.
A good Samaritan after the crash tried to wrap Isaiah’s head with her sweater to stop the bleeding before the siblings were taken to the hospital, according to the family’s GoFundMe page. Firefighters used hydraulic “jaws of life” to pull the boy from the wreckage.
According to the GoFundMe page, Isaiah suffered “severe injuries to his head, brain and abdomen.” Despite efforts by the emergency room team at Long Beach Memorial Hospital, who worked tirelessly to save him after his heart stopped three times, Isaiah was pronounced dead at approximately 8:30 that night in 2021.
According to the family, the 19-year-old sister was treated at St. Francis Medical Center for a concussion, broken bones and lacerations. She was released a few days later.
In the aftermath of the collision, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department issued a statement. “Our hearts go out those injured in the crash, as well as the family and loved ones of the deceased,” the agency said. “This case is currently being investigated by South Gate Police Department and until their investigation is completed, we are unable to offer further comment.”
Isaiah, according to family members, “was an avid fan of the Dodgers, Lakers, Kings and Raiders. He was interested in becoming a chef, but like most 12-year-old boys, he loved playing games on his Nintendo Switch.”
Richard Winton
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