A man has been convicted of vehicular manslaughter and causing great bodily injury while driving under the influence of alcohol, in an event that occurred in Buena Park three years ago.
On May 10, 2015 Steven Gerard Cruz, 34, of Cerritos, was driving east on Orangethorpe Avenue in Buena Park while under the influence of alcohol, with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or more.
At an intersection, the defendant accelerated through a yellow light and crashed into the driver’s side of a Toyota Avalon.
The driver of the Toyota Avalon was transported by ambulance to UCI Medical Center, where he later died of his injuries.
Cruz also caused great bodily injury to two females also in the Avalon.
Buena Park Police Department, who investigated this case, found that the defendant had a blood alcohol content of 0.11 percent at the scene.
On Aug. 28, Cruz was found guilty by a jury, and he faces a maximum sentence of 12 years and eight months in state prison.
