RICHARD K. De ATLEY
Parents, students and community members expressed frustration and disappointment during an evening meeting Wednesday, Nov. 7, at Hemet High School to discuss a crash in front of the school in May that seriously injured eight students in a crosswalk. The Riverside County district attorney’s office announced last month that no charges would be filed against the driver of the pickup truck, Daniel Carrillo, who at the time was a junior at the school. The meeting in the Hemet High Community Theater was a short distance from the site of the accident. The gathering included CHP Capt. Gregory Peck, commander of the San Gorgonio office, two other CHP officers, and Deputy District Attorney David Tahan. About 40 people were in the audience, including staff from the school. The California Highway Patrol office in Banning initially reported the truck was going 50 mph in a 25 mph zone, weaving in and out of traffic, and ran a red light. Carrillo said his brakes failed. The CHP said then that despite Carrillo’s claim, it expected criminal charges to be filed. But the investigation by a Multidisciplinary Accident Team concluded the initial reports were off — the truck was doing 32 to 36 mph, not accelerating, and the tire calibration made the speedometer register 7 mph less than it was actually traveling. It also concluded that brake failure was the primary cause of the crash and that it was highly likely there was transmission fluid in the brake’s master cylinder. The truck stopped after Carrillo ran the tires along the curb of Stetson Avenue. Carrillo will face infractions for having poorly maintained brakes that caused an accident, but Tahan said there was nothing in the investigation such as evidence of willfulness by Carrillo. He stopped talking to law enforcement at some time during the investigation. That brought frustration from Jamie Dover, 51, of Hemet, who was there with her husband Jeff Dover, 57. Their son Melvin Smith, 15, was one of those struck. “I know you are saying you don’t have enough evidence, but to me it sounds like you are finding more reasons not to do it than finding reasons to do it,” she said. Dover said she was not angry at Carrillo, but “I’m angry at his actions.” Peck told her, “The evidence is not there to file charges.” Tahan added, “It would be unethical for me to charge him in that case. … That’s not justice, that’s just a lynch mob mentality.” The remark drew applause from a small group that later identified themselves as members of Carrillo’s family, who said outside they were satisfied that details of the case had been laid out.