Man indicted in wrong-way crash that killed a California law enforcement recruit and injured others, prosecutors say

Man Indicted in Wrong-Way Crash That Killed a California Law Enforcement Recruit, Prosecutors Say

A grand jury has indicted Nicholas Joseph Gutierrez for a fatal crash that occurred in November 2022, resulting in the death of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s recruit and injuring multiple others. The charges include one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, a misdemeanor count of vehicular manslaughter with ordinary negligence, and nine counts of reckless driving on a highway causing specified injuries, as stated by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The incident happened near Whittier during a training exercise involving around 75 law enforcement trainees. Gutierrez allegedly drove the wrong way, colliding with participants. One recruit, Alejandro Martinez-Inzunza, died eight months after the crash, while nine others sustained severe injuries, according to authorities. The district attorney’s office highlighted that the crash was unintentional, attributed to Gutierrez falling asleep at the wheel.

“More than a year later, we are still grappling with the profound loss of a promising sheriff’s deputy recruit, Alejandro Martinez-Inzunza, and the other recruits who were seriously injured as a result of this tragic incident,” said District Attorney George Gascón on Tuesday.

Earlier in April 2026, Gutierrez had pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and nine felony charges of reckless driving. However, he recently entered a not guilty plea to the current indictment, which is set for a pretrial conference on February 9. Under the terms of his plea deal, Gutierrez will be on probation for five years, with the possibility of an eight-year prison sentence if he violates any conditions.

Law enforcement noted that Gutierrez showed no signs of impairment at the time of the crash and had a zero Breathalyzer result. His attorney, Alexandra Kazarian, remarked in November 2022 that an investigation would confirm Gutierrez’s character, describing him as a hard-working individual with no hostility toward law enforcement, and calling the event a “tragic accident.” CNN is seeking further comments from Gutierrez’s legal team and aims to obtain a copy of the indictment for additional details.