Inset top: Ricardo Archundia Cruz appearing in Monterey County Superior Court in August 2022 (KSBW). Inset bottom: Fermin Maldonado (Alta Vista Mortuary). Background: The location where Cruz recklessly ran a red light, resulting in the fatality of Fermin (Google Maps).
A 19-year-old in California has been sentenced to almost 20 years in prison for the tragic death of a 3-year-old boy. The young man drove through a red light while intoxicated, striking the child crossing with his father and dragging him over 600 feet as he attempted to escape. Ricardo Archundia Cruz entered a guilty plea on Wednesday for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, with an added charge for fleeing the scene, in connection to Fermin Maldonado’s death, officials confirmed.
Cruz also confessed to charges of felony assault with a deadly weapon and causing severe physical harm, leaving Fermin’s father, Regino Vivar, critically injured.
Per a news release from the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office, the incident occurred as Cruz was heading down East Alisal towards Wood Street around 6:20 p.m. on July 26, 2024.
“Amidst dense traffic, he was traveling at 50 MPH in a 25 MPH area,” the release detailed. “An open beer can was present in the vehicle, and he confirmed he was under the influence. As he neared the Alisal and Wood Streets intersection, he maintained his speed at 50 miles per hour despite the traffic light cycling from green to yellow and then turning red.”
Prosecutors revealed Cruz was roughly 1,000 feet from the intersection when the light shifted from green to yellow. Ignoring the signal, Cruz accelerated towards the intersection “without slowing for 10 seconds,” proceeding through even as the light turned red.
As Cruz was barreling towards the intersection, Maldonado and Vivar were properly crossing the street after waiting for the “walk” sign and remaining within the crosswalk.
“Regino was holding Fermin’s hand and tried pulling him back when he noticed the defendant entering the intersection,” prosecutors wrote. “Regino was struck and thrown 60 feet, suffering severe injuries but he survived. Fermin went under the defendant’s car, was trapped, and was dragged as the defendant fled the scene. Fermin’s lifeless body was eventually expelled from under the car over 600 feet away from impact.”
Fermin’s mother was seven months pregnant at the time of the crash, Salinas NBC and ABC affiliate KSBW reported.
Authorities said that after he struck the father and son, Cruz “continued to speed recklessly” from the scene of the collision. After traveling to San Diego, Cruz attempted to flee across the southern border to Mexico before officers with the Salinas Police Department were able to convince him to return to the U.S. and turn himself in. He was ultimately arrested on Aug. 4, 2024.
Cruz is currently scheduled to appear before Monterey County Superior Judge Pamela L. Butler for his sentencing hearing on Oct. 22, where she will hand down a stipulated sentence of 17 years, prosecutors said.
