Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has announced that LAPD Sergeant Ruby Aguirre, the defendant driver in Chavez v. City of Los Angeles, has been charged with a misdemeanor count of reckless driving after she caused a serious collision while responding to a pursuit that left our client, Justyce Chavez, with life changing injuries.
Ms. Chavez is represented by firm attorneys Erika Contreras and Robert Glassman.
On May 6, 2021, Sgt. Aguirre was driving a police vehicle at a high rate of speeed when she ‘t-boned’ a car driven by 29-year-old Justyce Chavez, causing catastrophic injuries. Ms. Chavez was a happy, healthy, and active young woman before she was broadsided unexpectedly by a speeding LAPD cruiser.
“Sergeant Aguirre was not pursuing her suspect in a safe way,” said Mr. Glassman. “What I can tell you is she was still extraordinarily reckless in her pursuit.”
Ms. Chavez’s lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles and Sgt. Aguirre for the injuries she suffered in the crash is set to go to trial in March 2023.
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On January 30, 2023 the deputy LA City Attorney defending the case signed a stipulation, or a joint agreement of facts, that said, “Defendant Aguirre’s negligence caused a collision with a vehicle driven by Plaintiff Justyce Chavez.”
The stipulation also said Aguirre was in the course and scope of her employment when the crash happened.
“We don’t think they had any choice,” Glassman told KNBC of the stipulation that admits fault.
“The facts are as plain as day, she was extraordinarily reckless in the operation of her vehicle, there’s no other way to spin this case than to ‘100 percent’ admit — that it was her fault,” he said.
A number of law enforcement officials contacted by the KNBC I-Team said they could not recall another instance in recent memory in Southern California which an officer faced a criminal charge for an on-duty car crash, but the decision to file a criminal allegation followed the City of Los Angeles’ statement in civil court that Sgt. Aguirre was responsible for the collision.
“I can’t think of one other case that I’ve worked on in which a public entity, expecially a law enforcement agency, has admitted that they are solely responsible,” Mr. Glassman added.
Sgt. Aguirre is scheduled to be arraigned in downtown Los Angeles in April 2023.