A Los Angeles Police Department detective has been charged with hit-and-run exactly one year after she allegedly rear-ended another vehicle on the 5 Freeway while off-duty.
Prosecutors allege that the detective, Stephanie Carrillo, 47, crashed an unmarked LAPD vehicle into a civilian’s vehicle on May 3, 2023, damaging its rear. Both parties initially pulled over, but Carrillo allegedly got back in her vehicle and fled the crash scene, according to a statement from the L.A. County district attorney’s office.
Later that day, Carrillo filed a report at a California Highway Patrol station in Orange County stating that she had been in a hit-and-run, according to the statement.
“Irresponsible and unlawful behavior by law enforcement as allegedly exhibited by Officer Carrillo not only violates public trust but goes against the oath taken by law enforcement to keep the public safe,” said Dist. Atty. George Gascón. The CHP’s East Los Angeles station investigated the incident.
The LAPD said in a statement Friday that Carrillo has worked for the department for 24 years.
“The Los Angeles Police Department’s Internal Affairs Division initiated an administrative investigation into this allegation, and Carrillo was relieved of her police powers pending the resolution of the administrative investigation,” the statement said. “With the oversight of the Inspector General, the department will ensure administrative accountability in this matter.”
Carrillo’s arraignment on a single charge of misdemeanor hit-and-run is scheduled for May 22 at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in L.A. She faces up to six months in jail, if convicted. It was not immediately clear from court records Friday evening if Carrillo had retained a lawyer.
State Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo pleaded no contest Friday to driving under the influence of alcohol.
Carrillo, a Los Angeles Democrat who is running for a hotly contested Eastside City Council seat, was arrested Nov. 3 after she crashed into two parked cars in Northeast Los Angeles. Her blood-alcohol level was at least twice the legal limit, according to Los Angeles police.
Under the plea agreement, Carrillo must attend a three-month driving-under-the-influence program. Her driver’s license will be restricted so that she can drive only to work and the program.
Carrillo was not present at the Metropolitan Courthouse when her attorney, Alex Kessel, entered her plea to the misdemeanor charge. Deputy City Atty. Adam Micale agreed to drop a second charge of driving with a blood-alcohol count of .08% or higher.
In addition to the three-month state-licensed program, Carrillo must attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving class and perform 50 hours of community service. She must also pay about $2,000 in restitution.
Carrillo has been attending Alcoholic Anonymous meetings since her arrest, Kessel said.
He said the plea agreement was typical and that his client was “not getting any benefit from the norm.”
“Today, Assemblymember Carrillo, through her attorney, pled no contest to the charges she faced,” said a statement released by Carrillo’s Assembly office. “From day one, she has accepted responsibility for her actions and is committed to following the judge’s orders.”
Outside the courtroom, Kessel told reporters that Carrillo has wanted to “accept responsibility” since that night.
“This incident was an aberration in her life and shouldn’t stop her from doing the good work of what she always has done for the people of California and now for the city of Los Angeles,” Kessel said.
Micale declined to comment.
In a cellphone video obtained by Fox11, Carrillo appears to slur her speech and briefly lose her balance as two officers conduct a field sobriety test after responding to the scene on Monterey Road around 1:30 a.m.
“I’m sorry, I sneezed and lost [control] of the vehicle,” she told the officers.
Before the test was completed, one of the officers explained to bystanders “in the interest of transparency” that the LAPD has a policy that allows for this type of investigation to be conducted in a private location when a dignitary or elected official is involved.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore said he directed a review of body worn video, and the officer’s actions did “not appear to be inappropriate.”
One witness at the scene of the car crash said he heard a loud bang just as the collision occurred.
Carrillo’s car had struck another car, which then hit his, said the witness, who declined to provide his name out of privacy concerns. The man said he spoke with Carrillo, then called 911. “She had very slurred speech and was very disoriented,” the witness said.
Kessel said the subject of sneezing has not come up in his conversations with Carrillo.
“She felt completely fine, and there were some road issues,” said Kessel, who defined those issues as “curves in the road” and the late hour.
“As far as drinking and driving, she understands that she shouldn’t have,” he said. “But she accepted responsibility because there was a measurable amount of alcohol in her system. And she shouldn’t have had any alcohol while driving. And she 100% recognizes that.”
Kessel said that prior to that night, Carrillo had never been in trouble with the law.
“If there’s a personal issue with alcohol, I don’t think for the court process that makes a difference, because for that night in question, there was alcohol in her system,” he said. “And I think she’s addressing that. I’m not here to comment on her personal life.”
Carrillo, 43, was booked into jail at 4:07 a.m. and released that afternoon wearing a black suit and flip flops.
“I’m sorry, I’m going to get my ride,” she responded when a Times reporter asked if she had been drunk driving that night.
Another candidate, geriatric social worker Nadine Diaz, said Friday that the programs Carrillo will complete as part of her plea agreement are “a start” but that Carrillo should drop out of the election to focus on her health.
“I hope she gets help in regards to the situation. I think it’s serious,” Diaz said. “And I think at this point, she needs to be evaluated, her plan of action in regards to running, I hope — for mental health reasons, for self care.”
The L.A. politics chisme mill flooded my phone with texts and calls this morning. Was it true that Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving?
Not the Roosevelt High and Cal State Los Angeles graduate who loves to speak to students and community groups to let Latinas know that more of them are needed in politics.
Not the former radio personality who used to host a public affairs show on Power 106 called “Knowledge Is Power” that profiled local heroes and urged Latinos to uplift our community at all times.
Carrillo, 43, was booked Friday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence and being involved in a traffic collision while having a high blood-alcohol count — in other words, double the legal limit or more. A law enforcement source said that police responded around 1:30 a.m. to the 6200 block of Monterey Road near Highland Park, where a motorist had struck two parked cars.
In a statement released before she left jail, Carrillo apologized, though she didn’t say anything about an arrest or allegedly driving while intoxicated. “I must adhere to a higher standard that demands personal accountability for my conduct and I accept responsibility for my actions,” Carrillo wrote. “I intend to seek the necessary help and support.”
Oy vey, Wendy.
Considered one of De León’s two main challengers, her arrest will inevitably launch a sea of “Wino Wendy” opposition mailers from now until the March primary. Whether her chances are kaput is something Eastside voters get to decide — if she stays in the race. But she can no longer claim the moral high ground against De León, who’s still trying to move on after he mocked Black political power on a leaked tape that upended City Hall.
It’s one thing to be caught talking bigoted trash in a secretly recorded conversation. It’s another to get behind the wheel after too many drinks and crash into the night.
That stain to Carrillo’s reputation and career is permanent. She’s no longer going to be thought of as just a homegrown champion of the Eastside. She’s the latest Latina politician to make her constituents proud, then embarrass them with stupid falls from grace that never had to happen.
In 2018, it was Bell-area Assemblymember Cristina Garcia, who was stripped of her committee assignments after being investigated for allegedly sexually harassing a male staffer years earlier. Though cleared of that charge, Garcia was found to have violated the Assembly’s sexual harassment policy for “commonly and pervasively” using foul language.
Last year, it was then-L.A. City Council President Nury Martinez, the first Latina to hold that position and someone who reveled in presenting herself as la máschingona — the boss bitch — of City Hall. She resigned after she appeared on the same tape as De León, uttering anti-Black and anti-Oaxacan nonsense.
This summer, Riverside City Councilmember Clarissa Cervantes was arrested for the second time on drunk driving charges just weeks after having told a judge, “Each day I carry remorse and promise to never repeat those actions.” That hasn’t stopped the 32-year-old from continuing to run for the Assembly seat held by her sister, Sabrina.
Now, Wendy.
Politicians of all genders and ethnicities mess up, of course. But Carrillo’s arrest is especially disappointing, coming in a year where Los Angeles lost two legendary Latina politicians: former L.A. County Supervisor Gloria Molina and former Assemblymember Cindy Montañez. The two leaned on their backgrounds to fight against a racist, macho world that would be better if only more mujeres had a say in it.
Molina and Montañez were beloved precisely because they held themselves to a higher standard as Latinas, because allies and enemies alike knew that they were true public servants — no way would they get caught violating the public’s trust, whether on or off the job.
Driving while boozed up as an elected official is as bad a middle finger to regular folk as you can give.
You’re always a fool if you drink and drive. In this day and age of Uber and Lyft, you’re a straight-up pendejo. When you’re a politician and do that, you probably shouldn’t be in office. Constituents entrust to you the responsibility of devising policy and making things run right. The last thing they need to worry about is you smashing into their cars early in the morning.
Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo shows murals that are defaced by grafitti in Boyle Heights
(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
It’s especially maddening that Carrillo got caught up in an easily avoidable mistake. In 2020, she was reprimanded by then-Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon for “unwelcome” behavior after she was accused of inappropriately hugging and kissing an employee. Did she not realize that opponents have had her under a microscope ever since?
It’s even more frustrating when you consider that Carrillo can lean on mentors like state Sen. Maria Elena Durazo and former L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, and a roster of friends across the Eastside, whenever she needs help. Did no one in that circle think to have a handler around Carrillo at every public appearance, in the lead-up to one of the most contentious political races to hit the Eastside in decades?
I’m sadly familiar with drunk driving arrests. Friends have lost their jobs and relationships. My father was collared at least twice when I was a young child, although he’s been sober now for over 40 years. Carrillo should take whatever legal penalties may come her way and not ask for any special treatment. Then, she should spend the rest of her life and career urging everyone not to drink and drive — and offer herself as a cautionary tale.
Already, calls are coming for Carrillo to drop out of the council race, and even resign her Assembly post. She probably won’t, but she should at least think about it — as a lesson in humility, and as a reminder of what could’ve been.
I still remember when she and I met at her family home in Boyle Heights in the spring, after she told me she was running for City Council. We walked down Avenida Cesar Chavez, where shopkeepers and pedestrians greeted her with genuine joy.
She cast herself as the anti-De León, someone who wouldn’t embarrass Latinos and the Eastside with hubris — and she also claimed the Eastside deserved someone who actually cared. We saw streets in disrepair, trash inside planters, historic murals tagged beyond recognition.
“It’s not even about Kevin,” Carrillo said then. “It’s about respecting this community.”
A DUI arrest is not respecting the community. All you had to do was call an Uber.
State Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo, who is running for an Eastside seat on the Los Angeles City Council, was arrested in Northeast Los Angeles early Friday morning on suspicion of drunk driving, authorities said.
Carrillo, 43, was apprehended at 1:35 a.m. and was booked a few hours later, according to inmate records posted by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Police responded around 1:30 a.m. to the 6200 block of Monterey Road, where a motorist had struck two parked cars, according to a law enforcement source familiar with the incident but was not authorized to speak publicly about it and requested anonymity. A spokesperson for the LAPD issued a summary of the arrest that said Carrillo was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence and being involved in a traffic collision while having a high blood-alcohol count.
LAPD Capt. Kelly Muniz said that the charge of having a high blood-alcohol count indicates the suspect’s alcohol level was “double the legal limit or more.”
In a statement later Friday, Carrillo expressed thanks that no one was harmed in the crash, and said she is cooperating with law enforcement.
“As a public servant, I am aware that I must adhere to a higher standard that demands personal accountability for my conduct and I accept responsibility for my actions,” Carrillo said. “I sincerely apologize to my family, constituents, colleagues and staff for any actions of mine that have fallen short of that expectation. I intend to seek the necessary help and support. As I do so, I remain dedicated to my family, my constituents and the community that I grew-up in and am proud to represent.”
Carrillo was elected in 2017 to represent an Eastside Assembly district. She is now one of about a dozen people running in the March city election to unseat Councimember Kevin de León in a district that stretches from downtown to El Sereno and Eagle Rock.
The incident comes about six months after another state legislator was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving. In May, state Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine) was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving and released from Sacramento County jail.
Min later confirmed that he was cited with a misdemeanor DUI, saying his behavior was “irresponsible.”
