California peace officer killed by drunk driver charged with fifth DUI, license suspended – Crime Online

A California police officer was killed in a collision with an accused drunk driver in what was his fifth DUI violation.

According to CBS News Bay Area, 31-year-old Jessica Avila Munoz, a peace officer with the Sonoma County Probation Department, was involved in a fatal accident on Friday in Santa Rosa, California.

Munoz was struck by a truck as she turned from Lombardi Court onto eastbound Sebastopol Road in her white Honda. Police say 68-year-old truck driver Nhan Van Nguyen is accused of running a red light.

The impact caused Munoz's Honda to collide with a third vehicle, a Prius, and she was trapped in her car. The driver of the Prius was uninjured and remained at the scene of the accident.

Firefighters rescued Munoz from her vehicle, but she later died in the hospital. Munoz was on her way to pick up her 13-year-old daughter at the time of the accident.

According to KRON 4, police examined Nguyen and concluded that he was under the influence of alcohol. They also discovered that he had four previous convictions for drunk driving.

“The investigator determined that the driver, identified as Nhan Van Nguyen, a 68-year-old Santa Rosa resident, was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision. As the investigation continued, it was discovered that Nguyen had been arrested four times for drunk driving and had a suspended driver's license,” Santa Rosa police said.

Nguyen was taken to the hospital and released without injuries. He was later booked into the Sonoma County Jail on charges of negligent operation of a vehicle and aggravated assault.

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[Featured image: Jessica Avila Munoz/Sonoma County Law Enforcement Association]