No bail set for 20-year-old accused in crash that killed boy, 13
VISTA, Calif. (FOX 5/KUSI) — The 20-year-old suspected of driving under the influence in a crash that killed a 13-year-old boy made his first court appearance Wednesday.
The crash, which killed 13-year-old Rodrigo David Tapia Jr., happened just before 10 p.m. Saturday at the intersection of North Broadway and Country Club Lane in Escondido.
According to the prosecution, Alexander Tito Oroz was drunk and driving extremely fast when he blew through a red light. Oroz was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter. Officers said he showed no remorse when asked six times.
Vigil held for Escondido 13-year-old killed in suspected DUI crash
“The fact that he has complete lack of remorse, the fact that he shows no regard for public safety when he was speeding through a 40 mph posted zone. He was speeding between 91 and 119 mph,” Deputy District Attorney Min Yoon alleged during the arraignment.
“It’s going to get harder, especially the day that we put him to rest. Sometimes I’m in shock. I still I can’t believe it,” the boy’s mother said after the arraignment.
She said her daughter, the defendant’s girlfriend, was also in the car.
“I can’t imagine how he was feeling when he was coming down the hill,” she added. “He told him to stop. My daughter did, too. And he kept on pushing the gas pedal.”
13-year-old boy killed in suspected DUI crash
The defense asked for no bail and supervised release with an alcohol-monitoring device. The prosecution asked bail to be set at $500,000.
The judge had other ideas.
“The fact that the speeds were extreme, they weren’t just unsafe — they were reckless,” he said. “In this case, I am not going to set bail. It’s going to be zero.”
Oroz pleaded not guilty. He will appear in court again on May 13.
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