News Releases

May 26, 2021: Off-Duty Deputy Charged with Murder for Solo Crash

Contact: 
Ricardo Santiago, Public Information Officer
(213) 257-2000

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced that a man was charged today with murder for a fatal solo car crash last summer.

“Reckless driving can be deadly and no one knows that more than law enforcement officers,” District Attorney Gascón said.

Daniel Manuel Auner (dob 10/13/97) faces one felony count each of murder and reckless driving on a highway causing injury with an allegation of causing great bodily injury in case YA103916.

Arraignment is scheduled today in Department 4 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Torrance Branch.

Just after midnight on July 8, 2020, Auner, an off-duty Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy, was allegedly driving his vehicle at a high rate of speed when the car crashed into a traffic pole at the corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and 190th Street in Torrance. His front-seat passenger, Ashley Wells, 23, died as a result of her injuries.

Two other passengers suffered serious injuries, according to prosecutors.

The case remains under investigation by the Torrance Police Department.