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news
dillon_road_indio_hills_via_streetview.jpgUS motorist who drove through a group of charity cyclists at 100mph charged with murder
A California man who ploughed through a group of cyclists taking part in the Tour de Palm Springs charity ride while driving at 100mph has been charged with murder.
MyNewsLA.com reports that 21-year-old Ronnie Ramon Huerta Jr was driving eastbound on Dillon Road near 30th Avenue in Indio Hills at around 9.25am on February 10.
He was travelling at around 100 mph and lost control of his 2006 Ford 500 sedan. He swerved across the road and hit two cyclists before hitting a berm and rolling over.
54-year-old Mark Kristofferson was killed, while Alyson Lee Akers was airlifted to Desert Regional Medical Centre in Palm Springs with major injuries. Huerta was treated for moderate injuries prior to his arrest, and was released on bail the following day.
Prosecutors allege that he was driving under the influence of marijuana and he has since been charged with murder, driving under the influence of drugs and driving on a suspended licence. Huerta has pleaded not guilty.
Riverside County court records show Huerta has been cited for speeding four times since July 2015, three times in the early part of last year. His license was suspended in December for being “a negligent vehicle operator” and for failures to appear in court.
Dillon Road is mostly dead straight and runs through the open desert with minimal traffic, no stop signs and very few homes.
"Every other car is going really fast. It's easy to do because it's a straight road with nothing stopping them," local resident Lilly Hendrickson told the Desert Sun.
Ron Norris, a 70-year-old who regularly cycles the road, said that high speed close passes were common. "I'd say that every time I ride, there's at least one incident someone comes close and I don't feel comfortable about it."
The Tour de Palm Springs is an annual charity ride that has now been running for over 20 years.
Historically, police officers are positioned at key junctions with the only full road closures in Palm Springs where the ride begins.
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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19 comments
I hope that the cyclists who rode after the car, didn't catch the driver.
After all, 'violence is never the answer'.
It is homocide, the killing of a human being. I think 2nd degree murder in the states is our manslaughter.
I would question the wisdom of organizing a charity bike ride on a road 'notorious for speeding'. Presumably there were some (safety) controls in place e.g. 'Charity bike ride' signs. Maybe the driver ignoring these controls ramped up the charge to murder.
he was stoned, and speeding, allegedly, so they can charge him with felony murder.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felony_murder_rule
The driver should certainly have the book thrown at him, but what he did wasn't murder (unless, of course, he set out with the intention of mowing down cyclists with his car).
America seems way behind the times when it comes to road traffic enforcement. But I guess this guy didn't give a shit anyway.
If this was a UK/Euro road with concerns that everyone belted it then they'd just put speed cameras on it but after watching various road idiot videos on Youtube it's almost as if such things don't exist in America. Then again we also don't have police that will have rolling shootout on the motorway so it's swings and roundabouts.
Not many roundabouts.
Yeah, meant 'traffic circle'
Need I say more...
smidsy.jpg
UK version, no hi-vis, no helmet, cyclists fault, off you go sonny, nothing you could do about it, they came out of nowhere.
It wasnt murder though, was it.
You can be an accomplice not even in the vicinity nor actually kill the person and be charged with murder.
Personally if it acts as a deterrent and gets killers off the road permanantly I have no problem with that, as above, an eye for eye would cost the tax payer even less.
Do not imagine that the British system of justice and its definitions apply worldwide, this is far from the case.
It wasnt murder though, was it.
America has some strange laws on murder, practically evey unlawthful death over there I believe is, then they have varying degrees.
I read one the other day where a gang broke into some place. A cop shot one of the gang. Another member of the gang is charged with thte murder (even though its known he didn't actually fire the shot)
this is the story.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43673331
There are some very bizarre concepts of justice in the USA. You'd almost think they were designed specifically to disadvantage the poor and black even further.
Good lord, you aren't implying that parts of the US legal system are institutionally racist, shurely?
... how could he possibly plead not guilty?
I'm hopeful that this piece of sh1t will get a life sentence - and I believe this is a lot longer than a so-called life sentence in the UK.
Of course a death sentence would be even better!