Ex-CHP officer and DUI suspect make 1st court appearances in fiery crash that killed 4 in Norwalk
NORWALK, Calif. (KABC) -- Two people charged in a fiery crash that killed four people in Norwalk last year, including a now-former California Highway Patrol officer, made their first court appearances on Tuesday.
Former CHP officer Angelo Rodriguez, 24, and suspected drunk driver, 27-year-old Iris Salmeron, appeared together in a Bellflower courtroom on Tuesday. They are both charged with four counts of murder.
The crash happened on the 605 Freeway in Norwalk last July. Four people died inside a burning Nissan in the HOV lane.
Prosecutors say Rodriguez started the chain-reaction crash. He's now being held on $8 million bail.
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The suspected drunk driver, Salmeron, is being held on $8.1 million bail.
Eyewitness News Reporter Sid Garcia noted that while Deputy District Attorney Brittany Vannoy recounted what happened last July in the courtroom, Salmeron was visibly shaken, and it appeared she was crying.
"On the night of the crash, defendant Salmeron was drinking at both a restaurant and at a friend's home. Approximately 20 to 30 minutes before the fatal crash, defendant Salmeron was seen on surveillance video at a gas station, attempting to put gas in her vehicle, stumbling and nearly falling. She was on video again as she departed the gas station, attempting to make a right turn and mounting a curb," Vannoy said.
Relatives of the victims and the defendants were present inside the courtroom but did not wish to speak to the media.
Both suspects were scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday, but the arraignment was postponed until April 27.
There will also be a hearing about the suspects' bail and whether or not it will be reduced. Their next court appearance will take place at the Norwalk courthouse.
What we know about the deadly crash
On July 20, 2025, prosecutors say Rodriguez -- who was on-duty as a CHP officer at the time -- rear-ended the victims' Nissan on the 605 Freeway while traveling 130 mph. The crash disabled the car, leaving it stranded, but the four people inside were still alive, prosecutors say.
"He is driving at over 130 mph. He is driving without his lights or siren on, and without justification to be driving at that speed," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at a press conference announcing the charges.
Hochman says Rodriguez did nothing to prevent another driver from hitting the disabled vehicle, which is exactly what ended up happening. Rodriguez allegedly pulled his vehicle to the shoulder and turned off the lights, sitting on the shoulder for three minutes.
ORIGINAL REPORT: 4 killed in fiery chain-reaction crash on 605 Freeway in Norwalk; DUI suspect arrested
Investigators say Rodriguez then exited the freeway and reported a crash involving a CHP vehicle, but did not say that he was the one involved. When he turned around to return to the scene, prosecutors say it was too late.
That's when Salmeron, suspected of DUI, slammed into the disabled Nissan at more than 100 mph, prosecutors say. All four people inside the vehicle were killed when the car went up in flames.
"She's above the legal limit for alcohol consumption, and she crashes into the Nissan in the HOV lane, lighting the car on fire and horribly burning the four innocent victims inside the car," Hochman said.
Now-former CHP officer accused of trying to cover up the crash
Rodriguez was terminated by CHP following the crash.
"I think it's incomprehensible that you would be driving at 130 mph with no lights and sirens for no emergency. Just doing it," said Darren Aitken, the attorney for two of the victims' families. "And it's incomprehensible that after causing this collision, you would just abandon these poor kids to their fate. They are trained to secure a scene, make it as visible as possible, to protect the cars with their heavy cars if they can, and none of that was even done."
Hochman says Rodriguez already had two prior on-duty crashes on his record and tried to cover this one up by failing to immediately report the crash -- turning the lights in his cruiser off and sitting on the shoulder for three minutes before driving away.
"When you turn your lights off, you then disable the audio system inside of the patrol car," Hochman said. "So for the next three minutes, he is sitting on the right-hand side of the road."
What we know about the victims
The victims -- Julie Hamori, Armand Del Campo, Jordan Partridge and Sam Skocilic -- were all longtime friends and were heading home from a concert at the time of the crash. They range in age from 22 to 24 years old.
Hamori and Del Campo were going to get married, and Hamori already had her wedding dress, Del Campo's mother previously said at a news conference with the victims' attorney.
