The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office says charges were filed Wednesday after its investigation was completed. The office says it cannot release what the charges are until the teen has been arraigned. Arraignment is scheduled for April 23 in juvenile court.
RELATED: Family demands justice from DA after daughter dies in crash with Lamborghini driven by teen
Monique Muñoz, 32, of Hawthorne, California, was driving home from work shortly after 5 p.m. on Feb. 17 in West Los Angeles when a black Lamborghini SUV collided with her Lexus sedan, police said. Her car was totaled. The Los Angeles Fire Department responded and rendered aid, but she was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
The 17-year-old driver of the Lamborghini, who has not been identified because he is a juvenile, was hospitalized following the crash, police said. He was booked for vehicular manslaughter on Feb. 23, the Los Angeles Police Department said.
Investigators say the 17-year-old was driving at a high rate of speed in the Lamborghini SUV.
In the weeks since the fatal crash, Muñoz’s friends and family have called for charges to be filed against the teen driver and several protests have been held.
“We believe it’s the first step to justice for Monique,” Muñoz’s cousin Stephanie Crespin told Eyewitness News. “It’s a very definite step and we were happy to have those charges filed.”
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Muñoz’s family says they want to make sure the wealth and influence of the teen’s father isn’t a factor in the case.
“We don’t want this swept under the rug,” Crespin said. “We don’t want it ignored, and we have really felt that hinges on us making a stand, on us having a presence and demanding accountability.”
The suspect’s father has apologized to the family.
Muñoz’s family says that won’t bring her back and says their fight is far from over.
“We know this is just the beginning and really our goal is justice and that comes with a conviction and sentencing that reflects Monique was killed that day,” Crespin said.
Muñoz’s family is planning a rally Saturday to demand the DA charge the teen as an adult.
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