Sheriff's deputy charged in crash that left 12-year-old boy dead

SOUTH GATE – A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy has been charged with murder and other counts stemming from a high-speed crash in South Gate that left a 12-year-old boy dead and two others seriously injured, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced Wednesday.

Ricardo Castro, 28, was charged with one count each of murder, manslaughter and reckless driving in connection with the Nov. 3, 2021, crash that occurred while he was off-duty, the county's top prosecutor said at a news conference in South Gate.

The boy, Isaiah Suarez Rodriguez, died as a result of the collision, and his older sister, Alexa, was injured, along with Castro's passenger.

An investigation showed that the off-duty deputy was speeding in a 25 mph school zone as he approached the busy intersection of Firestone Boulevard and San Juan Avenue, where the boy's sister was waiting to make a left turn at about 3:55 p.m. that afternoon, according to Gascón.

"Driving at 95 miles per hour was nearly quadruple the speed limit when school children are present ...," the district attorney told reporters, adding that it shows a "conscious disregard for those children's lives."

Castro's driving history revealed that he has been involved in "multiple collisions" and received several traffic tickets, including for speeding, the district attorney said.

"Mr. Castro was also involved as a passenger in a fatal traffic collision just three months prior to this fatal collision," Gascón said.

The district attorney noted that Castro had received rigorous training through his work as a sheriff's deputy and had significant personal and professional knowledge about the dangers of driving at an excessive speed.

"Mr. Castro's recklessness ended the life of a boy with an entire future ahead of him and destroyed a family," Gascón said. "This tragedy was preventable and should never have happened."

Castro was arrested Tuesday by South Gate police and has remained jailed since then in lieu of just over $2 million bail, according to jail records.