|  ElCiudadano.cl |  Noticias

El Ciudadano

Original article: Prisión preventiva para carabinero que provocó fatal accidente vehicular en Santiago: Manejaba ebrio, huyó sin prestar ayuda y después inventó una «encerrona»

The 7th Criminal Court of Santiago has placed Ángel Cerna Rojas, a Carabineros officer, in pretrial detention following a fatal vehicle accident early Friday, April 24, that resulted in the death of a 20-year-old woman.

The officer has been dismissed from the police force. Initial investigations revealed that he was driving under the influence of alcohol and disregarded traffic signals. Furthermore, after the crash, he and four companions—also Carabineros officers who were dismissed—fled the scene without offering aid to the injured woman.

The involved vehicle was part of the Uber transportation network, and the deceased was the passenger, according to Chief Prosecutor of Flagrancia Centro Norte, Fernando Ruiz.

In statements to the press, the prosecutor detailed that «the Carabineros officer is charged with driving a motor vehicle under the influence resulting in death and damage. Additionally, he faces charges under Article 195 for failing to stop, report the incident, and provide all possible assistance to the victims.»

Ruiz added, «In this context, as per Law 18.290, augmented by the so-called Emilia Law, pretrial detention was requested for him.» He mentioned a detail prior to the incident: those involved had visited a nightclub, and the owner reported them for refusing to pay the bill, prompting the arrival of other Carabineros who allowed them to leave after ensuring the bill was settled.

Fabricated a Story

At this point, the prosecutor stated that the officer «arrived accompanied by municipal security personnel from San Miguel at the 20th Police Station to report the theft of his vehicle, which had already been involved in this fatal incident, claiming it was a ‘carjacking’ in downtown Santiago.»

«However, the Carabineros personnel taking his report noticed he was intoxicated, and when asked about the circumstances, he began to contradict himself,» the prosecutor emphasized.

Moreover, he added, «At approximately 8:30 AM, footage from security cameras collected at the scene revealed that he was present at the time of the accident, exiting the vehicle and checking on the victim lying in the street before leaving the scene with the other passengers of the vehicle,» highlighting that «he never acknowledges his mistake.»

Emilia Foundation

Meanwhile, in an interview with Canal 13, Carolina Figueroa from the Emilia Foundation sharply criticized the media’s coverage of the incident: «It hurts that this is still being referred to as a mistake; this is a crime.»

«It is surprising that we continue to discuss this as a mistake; it represents a setback from the progress made over the past 12 years,» said Figueroa, who also questioned the media platform given to the now-former officer’s father.

«One understands that a father defends his son, but it’s time to stop giving him a platform. He has made false statements; that his son was not drunk and only had a slight smell of alcohol (false), that he went through a yellow light (false), that he fled because he was being attacked (false), and that he turned himself in (false),» the Emilia Foundation representative criticized. Watch the moment below (social media X):

We will continue to provide updates.

La entrada Pretrial Detention for Police Officer After Fatal DUI Accident in Santiago: Fled the Scene and Fabricated a Story se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.