In 2021, a 17-year-old boy ran over a woman while she was walking her baby in the street. After pleading guilty, Kristopher Baca was sent to a diversionary camp.
The police confirmed that he died, but it was not able to provide further details. The incident occurred in Palmdale. According to the sheriff’s office, deputies found him with gunshot wounds in the driveway of a home in the 83600 block 11th Street East. He reportedly tried to rendezvous with a girl at a restaurant earlier, and an argument then erupted after he walked home.
The suspect vehicle fled the scene. Rachel, a young mother from Los Angeles who asked to be identified only by her first name, moved her family to a different area to escape from what she referred to as soft-on crime policies in the city. She said she was left with no choice but to react alone after learning about the incident.
She said she was both sad and relieved by the news. She noted that the universe delivered justice to her family, but it was a harsher sentence than what she would have received in court. Last year, the case made headlines after the office of George Gascon, the District Attorney of Los Angeles, sought a sentence of up to seven months in juvenile probation camp, which is a punishment that’s typically less severe than summer camp.
The DA’s office stated that the sentence was appropriate, and a spokesperson for Gascon did not respond to requests for comment. The suspect was already on probation for poisoning a fellow student’s drink, which was caught on surveillance cameras. The incident occurred on August 6, 2021.
The footage shows the stolen vehicle traveling the wrong way down a backstreet. After hitting the woman, who was walking her baby in a stroller, the car accelerated and fled the scene. A good Samaritan then crashed into the suspect vehicle, which led to the arrest of the suspect. According to a report by Fox News, the police found marijuana and drugs in the car.
At the time of the incident, the suspect was 15 years old. He asked to be released from his probation early, but a judge denied his request. He died before he turned 18. Rachel felt that the system failed him and that if District Attorney George Gascon had done his job properly, the suspect would still be alive today.