Orange County Hit And Run Case Reaching Conclusion
The police investigation in a horrific accident that killed a man in La Mirada recently has culminated in the arrest of 19-year-old Erik Aguirre of La Mirada. According to a news report posted in the Orange County Register’s Web site. Aguirre was held on vehicular manslaughter charges in connection with the death of Liberty Jaswal, 28.
Jaswal was killed in a hit-and-run accident in the parking lot of a La Mirada Del Taco on June 23rd. Sgt. Liza Gonzalez of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is quoted in a previous Orange County Register report as stating that a white Chevrolet Astro van, doing approximately 20 mph hit Jaswal, dragged him for a distance of 70 feet and then rolled over him even as Jaswal’s friends who witnessed the accident had run up to the moving van yelling for the driver to stop. However the driver of the van sped up faster as he was urged “Go, go go,” by the passenger, Gonzalez said.
Jaswal, a Pomona resident and fourth-year philosophy doctoral student at UC San Diego, died barely two hours after the accident. Officials have since talked to an 18-year-old woman and a 17-year-old boy who were reportedly passengers in the van driven by Aguirre. Both contacted officials voluntarily and have not been arrested, police said. Aguirre is in county jail in lieu of $1 million bail.
This is a tragic case no doubt and Mr. Jaswal by all accounts seems to have been an upstanding citizen and a good human being. That said, we’ve defended numerous clients who have been accused of vehicular manslaughter. These cases, like most other violent crime cases, are complex and usually involve a large volume of evidence, contradicting eyewitness reports and sometimes, questionable circumstances. We definitely hope all parties get the closure they need on this case.
But we know from experience that there are many people out there who are wrongly charged with crimes they did not commit. We will fight until the very end to defend these innocent people and we have the resources to do that. Some of our investigators who analyze driving-related cases have almost 30 years of experience with police departments investigating drunk driving cases to vehicular manslaughter cases and everything in between. If you or a family member has been accused of a driving-related crime, call us to discuss your case and get the help you need.
