Driver in Burbank crash pleads not guilty

The driver of an SUV involved in a head-on collision Sunday that killed a 33-year-old Burbank man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to vehicular manslaughter in Los Angeles County Superior Court, officials said.

Ivan Valle, 29, of Burbank, was arrested shortly after the fatal crash, which occurred at about 5:40 a.m. Sunday at the intersection of Buena Vista Street and Alameda Avenue when his SUV struck a sedan driven by 33-year-old Roman Ramos Rubio, also of Burbank.

The impact of the collision caused the sedan to strike a light pole and a fence, while the SUV struck and sheared a fire hydrant.

Emergency crews arrived to find Rubio’s sedan lodged in the iron fence of the Walt Disney Studios property. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police allege Valle was intoxicated and driving without a valid driver’s license when the crash occurred.

After the crash, Valle was taken into custody, where he remained until his arraignment Tuesday in lieu of $100,000 bail.

A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Jan. 3.

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