17-Year-Old Booked On Suspicion Of Vehicular Manslaughter In West LA Crash That Killed Monique Munoz
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A 17-year-old male was arrested in connection with a February crash in West Los Angeles that left a 32-year-old woman dead, the Los Angeles Police Department said Wednesday.
Police said the crash happened Feb. 17 at about 5:10 p.m. when the teen, who was driving a black Lamborghini SUV eastbound on Olympic Boulevard, collided with a silver, four-door Lexus turning left onto Overland Avenue.
The woman, identified as Monique Munoz, died at the scene and the teen was taken to a local hospital where he was treated.
"It hurts me so much her not being here, 'cause she was not only my daughter, she was my best friend," Carol Cardova, Munoz's mother, said. "She was tiny but mighty."
Police said the teen was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter on Feb. 23 and that the case would "proceed through the judicial process." The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said it had not yet filed charges, but was reviewing the case.
Cardova said she was furious that she found out the teen had been arrested from news reports instead of the police.
"I felt really disrespected," she said. "I felt like my daughter was disrespected."
Millionaire James Khuri, the suspect's father, said his son suffered brain damage, can barely walk and just got out of the intensive care unit. He also disputed claims from the victim's family that his son was racing.
"I am very, very sorry, and no words can say how sorry I am, because those are just words," the man said while standing outside his Beverly Hills home.
Khuri later took to Instagram, posting an apology to the family of Munoz.
"I am aware that the time it has taken me to communicate this has caused further pain for everyone affected," he wrote. "Knowing that this will never do justice for the family of Monique Munoz, I want to apologize to the Munoz family for the tragic loss of their daughter."
LAPD said the teen, whose name was not being released because he is a minor, cannot be held in jail because he has not yet been charged.
Funeral services for Munoz will be held Thursday. The family said it was planning to hold a rally at the crash site Saturday to demand justice.
"He committed an adult act, crime, and I believe he should be charged as an adult," Cardova said.
The investigation into the fatal crash is ongoing, and anyone with information about the case was asked to call West Traffic Detectives as 213-473-0234.