US EditionThen-California Highway Patrol Officer, Second Driver Charged with Murder in Connection with Los Angeles Area Crash that Left 4 Dead
Angelo Rodriguez and Iris Salmeron face second-degree murder charges after a high-speed collision killed four people; victims were alive after initial impact but died in a fire, prosecutors said.
- On Monday, March 16, 2026, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Angelo Rodriguez and Iris Salmeron were each charged with four counts of second-degree murder for the crash on the southbound 605 Freeway in Norwalk, and face additional felony counts tied to the incident.
- Angelo Rodriguez allegedly rear-ended the Nissan while driving at at least 130 miles per hour without lights or sirens, disabling the vehicle in the carpool lane on the southbound 605 Freeway near Rosecrans Avenue.
- Rodriguez then sat on the shoulder for three minutes without calling dispatch or aiding, and he has been fired by CHP, prosecutors said.
- The two were arrested Friday night and remain jailed with bail set at $4,000,000 each, while prosecutors plan to ask for $8,000,000 apiece; a criminal complaint had not been filed as of 10:45 a.m. Monday, and arraignment is expected Tuesday in the Bellflower Courthouse.
- Relatives of the victims filed claims and lawsuits, and Hochman said, 'This horrible tragedy could have been prevented had this officer not been driving at ridiculously high speeds for no reason whatsoever without his lights and sirens on, if the officer hadn't gone off to the side of the road and not called in this incident immediately, had this other individual, Ms. Salmeron, not been driving at an incredibly excessive speed, drunk, while she crashed into this car'.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Then-California Highway Patrol officer, second driver charged with murder in connection with Los Angeles area crash that left 4 dead
Last summer, then-CHP officer Angelo Rodriguez allegedly crashed into a Nissan sedan while driving 130 miles per hour and left the scene for several minutes without properly reporting the incident.
Ex-Highway Patrol Officer and DUI Suspect Face Murder Charges After ‘Horrific’ Crash Left 4 Dead
Angelo Rodriguez, 24, and Iris Salmeron, 27, have been charged with murder in connection with the deadly 2025 crashCredit: GoFundMeNEED TO KNOWFour young people were killed in a car crash on a California freeway in July 2025A former highway patrol officer and a suspected drunk driver have now been charged with murder in connection with the deadly incidentBoth face up to life in prison if convicted as chargedA former California Highway Patrol off…
Former CHP officer, DUI suspect charged with murder in crash that killed 4
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to correct the sequence of events in the crash. A former California Highway Patrol officer and a woman driving a separate vehicle have both been c…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 55% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
