NORTH HOLLYWOOD : Man Sentenced in Drunk Driving Case
A Mount Washington man was sentenced Tuesday to six months in jail after pleading no contest to charges of driving drunk and hitting a pedestrian and a parked vehicle on the Hollywood Freeway in North Hollywood.
Joseph Vasquez, 22, entered his plea--the legal equivalent of a guilty plea for criminal court purposes--in Van Nuys Municipal Court to a single count of causing an injury while driving under the influence of alcohol. Vasquez was also placed on three years probation, banned from driving for one year, ordered to complete a 90-day alcohol education program and to pay restitution.
According to prosecutors, the incident occurred shortly before midnight July 11 when Vasquez was driving rapidly north on the Hollywood Freeway near Victory Boulevard.
After passing another vehicle, Vasquez struck the pedestrian, who was standing near the rear of his disabled car on the right shoulder of the freeway.
The impact hurled the man into shrubbery alongside the freeway, but he was not seriously injured. Vasquez then rear-ended the disabled car, knocking it down an embankment, where it exploded and burned.
Vasquez tried to drive away from the scene, but witnesses pursued him and held him until police arrived, prosecutors said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
