A 22-year-old Long Beach man has been charged with manslaughter and fleeing the scene of a crash after allegedly killing a 49-year-old woman in West Long Beach three months ago.
Prosecutors allege that Gustavo Sandoval was driving a white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck westbound on Ninth Avenue when he hit Heaven Hooper, who was walking outside of a crosswalk at about 3:55 a.m. on March 29, 2026, near Fashion Avenue.
The location is blocks away from the Long Beach Multi-Service Center, the primary intake facility for people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness.
Hooper, who was homeless at the time, according to the Medical Examiner’s office, was taken to a hospital, where she died.
Hooper was “a loving mother” to seven adult children and “a devoted grandmother” to eight grandchildren, Freddy Hooper wrote on an online fundraiser to cover her funeral costs.
“Her warmth and dedication to her family touched everyone who knew her,” Freddy Hooper wrote.
Sandoval was arrested early Sunday morning in Long Beach, roughly three weeks after a judge granted a warrant for his arrest, according to jail and court records.
Police did not disclose what led them to identify Sandoval as the driver.
On Monday in Long Beach Superior Court, Sandoval pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of hit-and-run resulting in death and a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence.
He was being held on $20,000 bail after a judge reduced it from the initial amount of $50,000.
If convicted, he could face up to 4 years and 11 months in jail, according to prosecutors.
Long Beach has seen a rash of deadly crashes in recent years.
In 2025, the city recorded its deadliest year on the roadways in more than a decade, leading neighbors, cycling advocates and even the City Council to express frustration about lagging safety improvements.
More than half of the 53 fatal crashes last year involved pedestrians — resulting in 28 total deaths.
This year’s total, 21 fatal crashes, is on pace to surpass 2025’s. So far, 12 pedestrians have been killed by vehicles in the city.