Ex-LA Deputy Ricardo Castro Gets Six Years for Crash That Killed 12-Year-Old Boy
LOS ANGELES, CA (September 26, 2024) — A former Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison for a high-speed, off-duty crash that claimed the life of a 12-year-old boy in 2021.
Ricardo Castro, 30, pleaded no contest earlier this month to vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in the death of Isaiah Rodriguez. Prosecutors said Castro was driving nearly 95 mph in a 25 mph school zone in South Gate when he collided with a car carrying Isaiah and his older sister, who was injured in the crash.
Witnesses attempted to assist the victims before emergency personnel arrived, but Isaiah was pronounced dead at the hospital. His mother, Betsabe Suarez, said the family is “completely broken” by the loss, noting that her son had been out buying a ruler for a classmate who was being bullied.
During the sentencing in downtown Los Angeles, Castro apologized to the family, calling the incident a “tragedy” and expressing remorse. “It was never intended to happen,” he said. Castro surrendered his Peace Officer Standards and Training certificate and was taken into custody immediately after the hearing. He had been relieved of duty without pay following the charges.
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