Police Correct ID of Driver in Fatal Crash

Police said Wednesday that the wrong man was identified as a drunk driver involved in a crash that killed three, including a 5-month-old boy.

Police publicly identified Agustin Gonzalez Galindo, 42, of Costa Mesa as the driver of a pickup involved in the Dec. 20 Fountain Valley crash that also claimed the lives of the boy’s mother and the other driver.

But police said Wednesday that the motorist had given police a false name. A fingerprint check revealed that Leonardo Campos Torres, 35, of Costa Mesa was driving the pickup that night, police said.

Torres has remained in custody on drunk driving charges since the incident. Police said it was not immediately clear why Torres tried to pose as his friend, who is the registered owner of the vehicle that Torres was driving.

“Who knows what he was thinking?” said Sgt. Jim Perry of the Fountain Valley Police Department.

According to police, Torres was traveling alone in a Chevrolet pickup south on Newhope Street about 11 p.m. Dec. 20 when it was struck by a Ford Mustang that ran a red light.

A passenger in the Mustang, Mario Reyna Cano, 28, of Huntington Beach, was pronounced dead at the scene, and her 5-month old son, Brian, later died of his injuries. The driver, Nestor Suastegui, 24, of Huntington Beach, also was killed.

Torres tried to flee but was captured and arrested, police said. He identified himself as Galindo, but a fingerprint check revealed the lie, police said.

Torres now faces a charge of providing false information to police in addition to leaving the scene of a car crash, drunk driving and driving with a suspended license.

Police have determined that Suastegui was at fault.