Driver With Bad Brakes Charged in Death of Girl, 7
A San Pedro man whose car struck and killed a 7-year-old girl in September after careening down a San Pedro hill has been charged with felony vehicular manslaughter because he allegedly failed to fix his bad brakes.
The brakes on Gary M. Hartman’s car were “badly worn and grossly out of adjustment” when the Sept. 26 accident occurred and reportedly had been that way for at least two months, Los Angeles Police Detective Jim Dawson said.
“You can drive around for a little bit with bad brakes, but two months is way beyond what a reasonable person would do,” Dawson said.
Friends of Hartman told police the car’s brakes required repeated pumping before the car stopped, Dawson said.
Hartman, 31, who also was charged with misdemeanor reckless driving, has not entered a plea in the case.
Laura Ramirez of San Pedro was killed and her sister, Gizelle, 8, suffered serious leg injuries when Hartman’s 1965 International Travelall struck the girls as they waited to cross the street at South Alma and 19th streets on their way to school.
Hartman is being held in lieu of $25,000 bail.
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