April 20, 2026: Man Pleads Guilty in Death of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Recruit, Injuring Other Recruits in Wrong-Way Crash in Whittier

NORWALK, Calif. - Nicholas Gutierrez, 25, pleaded guilty today to a fatal wrong-way crash that resulted in the death of Los Angeles County Sheriff's recruit Alejandro Martinez-Inzunza and caused severe injuries to several other recruits in November 2022 in Whittier.

"Today's plea and sentence cannot undo the devastation of that day, nor will it bring back the life that was lost," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. "But it does mark a step toward justice and a measure of closure for the victims and their families whose lives have been forever changed. I am grateful to Deputy District Attorneys Michael Blake and Eric Siddall for their tireless work and unwavering commitment to ensuring accountability in this tragic case."

Nicholas Joseph Gutierrez (dob 05/26/00) of Diamond Bar pleaded guilty in case 24CJCF00461 to one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and nine felony counts of reckless driving on a highway causing a specified injury. He also admitted to all allegations.

Based on a negotiated plea, the Court imposed a total sentence of eight years in state prison, suspended. This means Gutierrez will be placed on probation for the maximum term of five years, under strict conditions set by the Court. Under the plea agreement, if he violates any of those conditions, the Court will then be obligated to impose the full eight-year prison term. Gutierrez was sentenced by Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Laura Walton.

On Nov. 16, 2022, 76 members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Academy Class 464 were on a training run on Mills Avenue at Bentongrove Drive, in an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County near the city of Whittier, when Gutierrez, who was driving southbound on Mills Avenue, crossed into the northbound lanes and crashed into the group.

In all, 25 recruits suffered some type of injury. Of those, 10 recruits were seriously injured and were listed as the named victims in the case, including Alejandro Martinez-Inzunza, who succumbed to his injuries and passed away eight months later, on July 28, 2023. After a comprehensive year-long multi-agency investigation into the crash, detectives determined there was no evidence that Gutierrez caused this crash by any intentional act. It appears he fell asleep while driving and his car drifted across lanes of traffic, into the recruits.

The case was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorneys Michael Blake and Eric Siddall of the Crimes Against Peace Officers Division and investigated by the California Highway Patrol's Santa Fe Springs Office and Investigative Services and Multi-Disciplinary Accident Investigation Team, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Homicide Bureau.