Video Transcript
first at five a bakeri police officer
involved in a deadly crash now faces
felony criminal charges but some experts
believe his charges aren't strict enough
thanks for joining us I'm Michelle mcia
and I'm Michael Patterson the current
County District Attorney's Office filing
a felony charge against an officer
accused of causing a deadly crash back
in January but lawyers representing the
family in the civil suit say the charges
don't go far enough eyewitness whose
reporter Leslie VI is live outside BPD
headquarters in downtown Bakersfield has
more on this new development Leslie
yes Michael relle now one of the biggest
details in this case is that the officer
suspected of driving that Patrol vehicle
was driving over 100 mph without sirens
and failed to stop at a stop sign
intersection now that is why I came to
as a surprise to some as to why he's
only being charged with vehicular
manslaughter we're left wondering if the
fact that roess as a police officer had
anything to do with the DA's decision on
Monday the current County District
Attorney's Office announced it filed a
lawsuit against Bakersville Police
Officer Ricardo robbles the alleged
driver involved in a deadly crash on
January 19th Ro still employed by BPD
but placed on administrative leave now
faces one count of vehicular
manslaughter with gross negligence two
counts of assault with deadly weapon and
one count of reckless driving on Highway
poor documents obtained by A Witness
News reveal an officer admitted roess
was the driver of the patrol car with
passenger officer tra V cins robas was
driving over 100 mph without emergency
lights but responded to a pursuit of a
stolen truck he failed to slow down at a
stop sign and at about 70 mph the patrol
vehicle hit another car the driver of
that car Mario LZ was killed while his
passenger Maria Hernandez was severely
injured Daniel Rodriguez is representing
the Hernandez Family in a civil lawsuit
against the city and officer robbles he
says he's disappointed in the felony
charges f
and he believes that instead of
vehicular manslaughter it should have
been second deegree murder charges
because after all the DA office Works
side by side day in day in and day out
uh with the vak police department with
the da spony charges robas could face
two to six years in prison versus second
degree murder it would be 15 years to
life Trey Gober an injury attorney says
with public pressure prosecutors will
often overcharge in a case but believe
this isn't one of those cases the
prosecutor has to have a crime where the
men's Rea what's going on in the
defendant's mind matches the charges
Gober says vehicular manslaughter is
closer to a negligence charge which
isn't classified as
intentional robas has yet to be arrested
but when he is his arraignment date will
be set in downtown Bakersville Leslie VI
Eyewitness News