Three hours before an intoxicated off-duty LAPD cop crashed into two cars in Los Angeles–killing a family of three–he posted an Instagram video warning people about the dangers of drinking and driving.
LAPD officer Edgar Verduzco posted a 10-second animated clip to his account at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday showing an avatar appearing frustrated and wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers shirt driving a car inside of a bar and honking the horn along with the hash tag #dontdrinkanddrive.
A beer glass can be seen in the background.
LAPD officials wouldn’t confirm if the the Instagram account belonged to Verduzco, but another video posted to the same account hours later shows a group of people playing Jenga, apparently at the same bar, according to KTLA.
It’s not clear how fast Verduzco was driving at the time he plowed his Camero into a 2014 Nissan, killing Mario and Maribel Davila and their 19-year old son Oscar Davila.
The impact of crash caused the Davila’s Nissan to burst into flames, trapping all three of them inside.
Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics arrived at the scene and pronounced all three occupants inside the car dead shortly after.
Verduzco was not seriously injured, but suffered a broken nose in the collision.
His victims were burned beyond recognition.
Mario and Maribel Davila and their 19-year old son Oscar Davila.
Another driver,31-year-old Berly Alvarado was also struck by Verduzco, but she was taken to the hospital and released after suffering minor injuries.
The Davila’s, who were both in their 50’s, are survived by their three son’s who’ve launched a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money for their family’s funeral.
Siblings described Oscar, the couple’s youngest child, as a bright, lighthearted and musically talented individual who served with his parents at church, according to the DailyMail.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck issued condolences to the Davila family in a written statement.
“The Department has no tolerance for for driving under the influence and holds its officers to to the highest standards of professionalism both on and off-duty,” he wrote before addressing the press on video.
“My heart goes out to the victims and their families and I cannot tell you how angry and disappointed I am that a Los Angeles police officer would disregard the law and cause an accident with such awful, awful consequences,” Beck stated.
“This is an awful thing.”
Verduzco was placed on paid leave after being released on $100,000 bail from the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angels.
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