A Long Beach man pleaded not guilty Monday to a single charge he was driving while drunk in a Highway 14 crash that killed his passenger on Christmas Eve last year.
Ricardo Cordoba, 27, of Long Beach, was arraigned on a single count of Section 191.5(a), gross vehicular manslaughter while under the influence, in the death of Emilio Carbajal Cruz, also 27, of Long Beach.
In court Monday, Cordoba was advised of his military rights as a veteran and then denied all allegations, according to the minute order for his arraignment at Department D in San Fernando.
As a condition of his continued release on bail, he agreed to electronic monitoring and attending three Alcoholic Anonymous meetings per week.
A pretrial hearing schedule for Cordoba is expected to resume Jan. 21 in the same courtroom.
Shortly after the crash, which happened north of Newhall Avenue, an officer from the California Highway Patrol Newhall Area Station reported finding Cordoba unresponsive in the driver’s seat around 1:40 a.m. Dec. 24, 2023. Cruz had been partially ejected out of the rear window and was declared dead at the scene, according to court records.
The officer reported seeing signs of intoxication in Cordoba, per court records, which also stated Cordoba told the officer he drank two “Tall Boy” cans prior to the crash.
Field sobriety tests were difficult due to the nature of Cordoba’s injuries; however, three breath samples from Cordoba indicated his blood-alcohol content was at least twice the legal limit in the lowest result, which started around 2:52 a.m., according to the officer’s report.
He was booked four days later at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station jail and released the following day on bond
California Highway Patrol officers investigated the crash with the help of the agency’s specialized team, using a search warrant to pull information from the computer in Cordoba’s white 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, according to a copy of the warrant obtained by The Signal.
A fundraising effort to help the family pay for its funeral costs raised more than $14,000 for the Cruz family, according to GoFundMe.
“On Dec. 24 at around 1:35 a.m., we were informed that my brother had gotten into a fatal car crash. My brother unfortunately lost his life instantly,” according to a statement on the website. “My little brother was one of a kind and will be missed by thousands, he was a loving person and talked to everyone. To those who knew him, Emilio’s smile would light up a room. He was a doting father, dear friend, cherished brother, son, uncle and one of the most kind-hearted and humble individuals you’d ever meet. He is deeply missed by all of us, especially his daughter.”
