Sergeant Ran Down 19-Year-Old In Hit-And-Run DUI Crash, OC Prosecutors Say

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — A Los Angeles Police Department sergeant who prosecutors say hit a 19-year-old pedestrian in Tustin while driving drunk and left the young man to die in the street is now facing felony DUI hit-and-run charges, authorities said Wednesday.

Buena Park man Carlos Gonzalo Coronel, 40, has also been charged with a felony enhancement for causing great bodily injury. Coronel previously admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs in 2011, according to court records.

The incident was reported at about 3:41 a.m. on Feb. 1, 2025, when Coronel was driving his black Chevy Silverado pickup after a night of drinking with his brother-in-law.

He struck and killed Imanol Salvador Gonzalez, prosecutors said. His body was discovered by two people on their way home from work.

The LAPD sergeant never called 911, despite his pickup sustaining "significant" front-end damage. When his girlfriend drove Coronel back to his Buena Park residents, prosecutors allege that he directed her to avoid the part of Nisson Road where the crash happened.

In addition, prosecutors say that Coronel drove past the crime scene where Tustin officers were investigating the teen's death, and that Coronel searched the internet to see if there had been a fatal hit-and-run in Tustin.

If convicted on all charges associated with the crash, Coronel faces up to six years, eight months in prison.

According to The Orange County Register, this is not the first time Coronel has been accused of driving under the influence.

In Sept. 2011, he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor DUI charge and was sentenced to 129 hours of community service, which he failed to complete, the newspaper reported.