A man who is suspected of driving under the influence and fatally striking a 6-year-old girl in Fullerton over the weekend has been charged with murder, officials announced Wednesday.
Maximino Lagunas Delgado, 53, faces 15 years to life in prison in connection with the Feb. 17 incident.
Delgado was driving east on Gage Avenue in a small SUV about 2:25 p.m. Saturday when he allegedly lost control of the vehicle as he tried to make a left turn onto Lombard Street, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release. His vehicle went onto the sidewalk and struck the victim as she was playing outside.
Delgado then apparently crashed into another car. Responding Fullerton police officers eventually arrested Delgado at the scene.
His blood-alcohol level was .23 percent, or nearly three times the legal limit, the DA’s office said.
The victim was taken to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. She has not been formally identified, but the Orange County Register identified her as Grace Aguilar. A GoFundMe page was set up to help her family with funeral expenses.
Delgado was convicted of a DUI offense in Orange County in 2015, the DA’s office said. He had completed a DUI class and was previously told that he would be charged with murder if he killed a person while driving under the influence.
He is scheduled to be arraigned on March 9.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the defendant’s last name in one instance. The post has been updated.