The driver charged with crashing into a Lakewood High School student sitting at a bus stop has agreed to a plea deal under which he’ll serve six months in jail and spend three years on probation.
Authorities say 20-year-old Jacob Bustillos, of Compton, sped through a red light at Carson Street and Palo Verde Avenue on June 11 when his 2010 Infiniti G37 hit another car, then rolled over the curb, killing 15-year-old Carlos Ramirez.
Carlos’ mother, Monica Gonzalez, told the Long Beach Post she’s still reeling from the loss but has forgiven Bustillos, as her son would’ve encouraged her to do if he were still alive.
“I don’t think that [Bustillos] did this intentionally,” Gonzalez said. “It was a mistake, and unfortunately, it just crushed my world.”
After the crash, Bustillos was charged with one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. If convicted, he faced up to six years in prison. Instead, court records show, he accepted a plea agreement from the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office in late January.
The records show Bustillos agreed to plead no contest and, in exchange, will be required to serve six months in jail, be on probation for three years, complete a reckless driving intervention program and complete a two-day program that includes a visit to a hospital and a morgue.
On Feb. 26, Bustillos surrendered at the downtown Long Beach courthouse to serve his six-month jail sentence. He’s scheduled to be formally sentenced to his three-year probation term in August.
Carlos’ friends and family are still mourning. They said he was a quiet but driven boy who wanted to enlist in the military after graduation. He had his grandfather’s curly hair, but towered over him and the other men in the family, even at just 15 years old, according to his mom.
His younger siblings — and even his pet — have had trouble adjusting, according to Gonzalez. She said Carlos’ 4-year-old French bulldog used to do everything with him, but after months of sitting by his now-empty room, the dog inexplicably stopped eating. At the vet, they could find nothing wrong. Thankfully, she said, it recently started eating again.
Gonzalez said she hopes Bustillos has learned from his mistake and the consequences serve as a warning to others.
“We all lost in this situation,” she said. “I lost my son, and he ruined his life forever.”