Twice-Convicted Drunk Driver Arrested in Fatal Crash

A twice-convicted drunk driver arrested after a fatal crash Monday was driving with a suspended license and had failed to complete alcohol abuse programs since 1992, court records show.

Steven Edward Schumacher, 38, of Seal Beach was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol.

Investigators allege he ran a red light and broadsided a Honda carrying four people, killing passenger Roberto Ferrer, 22, of Westminster. The three other people in the car were treated for injuries.

Schumacher suffered head injuries and remained in intensive care Tuesday at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center.

“There’s no reason why a person like that should be out on the road,” said Ferrer’s 18-year-old brother, Alonso. “I wish he knew what kind of pain I’m in right now.”

Schumacher was convicted of drunk driving in 1985 and 1991, according to court records and the state Department of Motor Vehicles.

His license was first revoked after the 1985 drunk driving conviction. In April 1991, he was arrested in Santa Ana for driving with a blood-alcohol level of .26, more than three times the legal limit, court records indicate.

Since that conviction, Schumacher has been repeatedly cited for driving with a suspended license and failing to complete court-ordered drunk driving programs. He also failed to pay past-due fines, landing in County Jail for varying amounts of time.

“I’m going fight in court to make sure [Schumacher] stays in jail,” said Gregorio Ferrer, sobbing Tuesday. “There’s no reason why my son had to die at that age. He shouldn’t have died that way.”

Monday’s crash occurred about 3:40 a.m. when Alonso Ferrer was driving his older brother and two friends in the Honda, headed north on Bushard Street.

At Ellis Avenue, they were struck by a pickup truck. Police identified Schumacher as the driver and said that he and a passenger were both intoxicated and returning from a friend’s house.

Roberto Ferrer, who worked at the Robinsons-May department store in South Coast Plaza, died about three hours later at Pacifica Hospital. Family members said he will be buried in Oakdale Memorial Park in Glendora later this week.

“We’re all going to miss him,” Alonso Ferrer said.

Times staff writer Ken Ellingwood contributed to this report.