Illegal immigrant, five times deported, charged in fatal LA crash

March 7, 2017

A 45-year-old Mexican national who has a long criminal history and has been deported from the United States five times is sitting in Los Angeles County Jail on murder and DUI manslaughter charges. [LA Daily News]

Estuardo Alvarado, 45, allegedly struck and killed Arleta woman Sandra Duran, 42, while fleeing the scene after hitting a parked car. Duran’s son, Christian Galban, 18, and his girlfriend Stephanie Garcia, 18 were in the car at the time of the crash. Both Galban and Garcia suffered injuries but survived.

The crash occurred on Feb. 19 on Sepulveda Boulevard in North Hills. Alvarado allegedly tried to pass some vehicles and struck a parked car. Then, after stopping briefly, he fled at high speeds, ran a red light and T-boned into the driver’s side of Duran’s Toyota Camry.

Alvarado, who was living illegally in Lakeview Terrace, was deported five times between 1998 and 2011. He has been charged with more than 20 felonies and misdemeanors since 1990, court records show.

The charges include being a felon in possession of a weapon, possession of marijuana for sale, the sale or transport of a controlled substance and driving under the influence. Alvarado has been convicted of several charges, including DUI, possession of marijuana for sale and misdemeanor hit-and-run. Several cases against him were dismissed or not prosecuted or the conclusions are unclear.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say Alvardo has been on their radar for years.

Duran’s sister Lisa Morales, 36, is an LAPD officer who works in the division where the fatal accident occurred. Morales was on maternity leave at the time her sister was killed.

Morales said when she showed up at the scene of the crash her partners knew that it was her sister, and it was very traumatic.

“It’s a great concern because this could have been prevented,” Morales said. “It’s sad and it’s unfortunate. It’s going to happen not just to my family but to other families.”

The fatal Los Angeles crash occurred just days before President Donald Trump announced plans to create an office within the Department of Homeland Security called Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE). Trump said during a speech to Congress last week that the office would give a voice to “those who have been ignored by our media and silenced by special interests.”

Alvarado is currently charged with five felonies, including murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. He is being held at the Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail on $2.23 million bail.