The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office has filed felony charges against a 32-year-old Long Beach man accused of crashing into a house in North Long Beach, injuring two people inside.
Matthew Gomez is facing one count of felony driving under the influence of alcohol, one felony count of reckless driving with injuries and one misdemeanor count of reckless driving.
Authorities allege he had a blood-alcohol content of .052 on the afternoon of June 23 when he crashed on Bort Street, east of Long Beach Boulevard. The maximum legal limit is .08, but being under that amount does not preclude authorities from filing a DUI charge and trying to prove someone was impaired even at that lower level.
Gomez initially told officers he was looking down at his phone when he lost control of the vehicle, sending it through an empty lot and leaving the front quarter of the vehicle embedded in the home’s living room, according to the search warrant.
Later, he changed his story and said he had a leg cramp in his right calf, which caused him to press the accelerator, according to a search warrant filed by detectives warrant
Police arrested him the day of the crash on suspicion of felony DUI, but he was released the next day while detectives completed their investigation.
Prosecutors filed the charges Tuesday. As of Thursday afternoon, Gomez was not in custody and had not entered a plea, according to jail records.
If convicted, he could face up to 6.5 years on the primary charges or up to 14 years if all special allegations — including that he caused great bodily injury — are found to be true, according to prosecutors.
The crash left the home’s resident, Jennifer Sabaiz, with a concussion and destroyed the equipment she uses for her home esthetician business.
Sabaiz, 30, was doing someone’s eyelashes in her living room when the SUV plowed into her home. The client was also hurt, requiring stitches to her shin, according to the search warrant.
Sabaiz works as a special education assistant for the Lynwood Unified School District, but earns money in the summer by doing lashes. Since the crash left her home unlivable, Sabaiz and her 7-year-old son have been staying with family members, she previously told the Long Beach Post.
Her brother started an online fundraiser looking to help her raise money to restart her business and pay for groceries and bills. As of Thursday afternoon, it had raised more than $3,300 toward its $4,500 goal.