A state appeals court panel today upheld a motorist’s conviction for striking and killing a pedestrian after an argument in Long Beach.
Sokhorn Hor, now 34, was convicted of second-degree murder for the Sept. 8, 2018, crash in the area near Market Street and Orange Avenue that left Victor Herrera, 40, dead.
The victim and his 12-year-old daughter were crossing in a crosswalk when a red vehicle came toward them fast and stopped directly in front of them, with Herrera subsequently telling the driver that he had almost hit his daughter and asking him why he didn’t stop at a red light, according to an 18-page ruling by a three-justice panel from California’s 2nd District Court of Appeal.
An argument ensued with the vehicle’s driver, with Herrera subsequently being struck by the vehicle, which then sped off, according to the ruling. The Long Beach resident was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Hor, who also lived in Long Beach, led Long Beach police on a pursuit later that night in which he raced nonstop through red lights and stop signs until he collided with parked cars, spun out and came to rest facing the wrong direction after an officer tried to stop him for accelerating a red Lexus through a red light, the justices noted.
The panel—which noted that more than one witness identified Hor as the homicide suspect—rejected the defense’s contention that the trial court erred in admitting gang evidence to prove Hor’s motive and intent after the judge had struck criminal street gang enhancement allegations against Hor.
Hor was sentenced to 16 years to life in state prison.
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