Anaheim : Drug Suspects Charged With Murder in Crash

A murder charge was filed Monday against a drug suspect who allegedly crashed his car into the car of an Anaheim man Thursday night while speeding away from narcotics agents. The suspect’s alleged partner, who was about five miles away in the custody of state authorities at the time of the crash, also was charged with murder.

In addition to the murder count, six narcotics charges were filed against Luis Carlos Escobar, 25, of Costa Mesa, and David Gerome Gutierrez, 25, of Orange, according to Deputy Dist. Atty. Carl Armbrust. Escobar, the suspect who allegedly sped away from the scene of Gutierrez’s arrest and caused the fatal collision, also was charged with possession of a gun by a felon, Armbrust said.

David Jon Vaca, 23, an insurance company employee from Anaheim, was stopped at a red light on an Anaheim street when Escobar, traveling an estimated 80 m.p.h. on a freeway off-ramp, collided with Vaca’s car and killed him, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Although Gutierrez was under arrest on drug charges at the time of the crash, Armbrust said the second drug suspect also was charged with murder because he was a co-conspirator in the alleged narcotics violations. The fatal collision occurred “as a direct consequence” of that illegal activity, Armbrust said.

Minutes before the crash, state undercover narcotics agents had met with Gutierrez in an Anaheim restaurant to buy two kilos of cocaine, authorities said. After Gutierrez sold the agents one kilo for $40,000, agents arrested him, according to a spokeswoman for the state attorney general’s office. Escobar, who also was at the restaurant and was standing by to obtain and deliver the second kilo, fled the scene in a Jaguar, authorities said.

Narcotics agents initially attempted to pursue Escobar but lost sight of the Jaguar within seconds, a state Department of Justice spokesman said.

Escobar headed north on the Santa Ana Freeway, driving in excess of 100 m.p.h. for several miles, the CHP said. He exited at Lincoln Avenue, slowed by about 20 m.p.h., lost control and slammed into Vaca’s car, which was stopped on Lincoln Avenue, according to the CHP. Vaca was declared dead at the scene, and a second man suffered minor injuries when Vaca’s car was pushed into his. Escobar was not hurt.

In proceedings before Municipal Court Judge Manuel Ramirez Monday, Escobar and Gutierrez were both charged with murder, offering to sell cocaine, selling cocaine, another charge of selling or offering to sell cocaine (based on the alleged intent to sell a second kilo that was never delivered), two counts of possessing cocaine for sale and conspiracy to distribute cocaine, Armbrust said. The charge of possession of a gun by a felon was filed only against Escobar.

A lesser charge such as vehicular manslaughter could have been pressed against the suspects, Armbrust said, but he sought the more severe charge because “I think it was murder. There was implied malice and a willful . . . and reckless disregard for the safety of others.”

Bail was set at $500,000 each and arraignment was scheduled for Jan. 23, Armbrust said.