The driver accused of drunkenly causing a crash that destroyed a Long Beach art gallery was charged today with misdemeanor driving under the influence.
Long Beach police allege that 32-year-old Luis Mesinas Amador was driving at around 12:35 a.m. on Feb. 24 when he rear-ended an SUV, sending both vehicles barrelling into The Open Gallery, a family-owned business at 1740 E. Seventh St.
The crash caused devastating damage to the gallery, which had just begun to get off the ground, according to the husband-and-wife owners Artos Saucedo and Liz Garibaldi.
“We just barely have been getting by just to feed ourselves,” Saucedo previously told the Long Beach Post.
Saucedo and his family live at the gallery, and, he said, amazingly nobody was seriously hurt even though one of the cars smashed into his 13-year-old son’s room and hit the boy’s bed.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office decided against filing felony charges because the crash “did not involve significant injury,” Venusse D. Dunn, a spokesperson for the DA’s office said in an email. She said it’s the DA’s policy to forgo felony charges in cases like this.
Support watchdog journalism
Who has eyes on City Hall? We do. The Long Beach Post is now a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donate now to support independent accountability journalism that cuts through the political spin.
Although the injuries weren’t “significant,” four people were hurt in the crash, according to Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert, who handles misdemeanor cases in the city. He said Amador also refused to take a blood-alcohol test after the crash, which, according to the DMV, results in an automatic one-year suspension of a suspected drunk driver’s license.
“Impaired driving is 100% preventable, yet about 1 out of every 4 traffic fatalities is the result of drivers who are impaired by drugs or alcohol,” Haubert said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to the Saucedo family and all others affected by this tragic event.”
Amador could face up to a year in jail if he’s convicted.
Saucedo and Garibaldi are fundraising to cover the damage to The Open Gallery. So far, they’ve collected over $40,000 in a GoFundMe.