Man arrested in triple fatal accident won’t be charged with

manslaughter

Greg Risling

FOUNTAIN VALLEY -- A man who was arrested two weeks ago after allegedly

running away from a traffic accident that killed three people in the city

will not face vehicular manslaughter charges, authorities said.

However, providing false information to police officers has been added to

his list of charges. Leonardo Campos Torres, 35, gave police the false

name Agustin Gonzalez Galindo and said he was 42.

Police believe Torres of Costa Mesa wasn’t responsible for the Dec. 21

accident based on accounts from witnesses.

“[Torres] wasn’t at fault, according to the only person who saw what

happened,” said Fountain Valley Police Lt. Dann Bean. “It looks like the

other driver may have run a red light that may have caused the accident.”

The impact of the crash -- which happened at about 10:40 p.m. at the

intersection of Newhope Street and Warner Avenue -- killed Nestor Ramirez

Suastegui, 24, of Huntington Beach, who was driving a Ford Mustang with

several passengers. Two of those passengers, Maria Reyna Cano, 28, and

her 5-month-old boy, Brian Muyorido, also died. Two other passengers were

injured.

The witness isn’t related to either party, authorities said.

To file manslaughter charges, prosecutors must determine from independent

evidence that Torres caused the accident.

“From what we know, that wasn’t the case in this accident,” Bean added.

Torres still faces allegations of felony hit-and-run, driving under the

influence, driving on a suspended license and providing false

information. Police said Torres was driving his pickup truck south on

Newhope as Suastegui headed east on Warner. The force of the impact was

so extreme, the baby, who was strapped to a child safety seat, was

ejected from Suastegui’s car.

Torres was found by police a short time later hiding in some bushes

blocks from where the accident occurred.

Authorities said tests determining the blood alcohol levels for Torres

and Suastegui haven’t been released.