Driver charged with murder in officer’s death
Hayward man accused of driving more than 100 mph while intoxicated
VALLEJO >> A 22-year-old Hayward man suspected of driving 120 mph while intoxicated on Christmas Eve has been charged with murder in connection with the traffic collision that killed a California High Patrol officer, authorities announced Tuesday.
Mohammed Abraar Ali was identified as the suspect in the tragic wreck on Interstate 880 in Hayward that killed Officer Andrew J. Camilleri. Ali’s speeding red Cadillac CTS-V drifted off Interstate 880 just before midnight and slammed into the back of Camilleri’s patrol SUV parked on the shoulder,
authorities said. Camilleri’s partner, Jonathan Velasquez, who was in the driver’s seat, was injured.
Ali was charged with second-degree murder, along with other charges including DUI causing bodily injury and driving on a highway faster than 100 mph, announced Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley. He is also charged with the enhancement of causing great bodily injury to Velasquez.
Court documents state that Ali’s blood-alcohol level was 0.11 percent, over the 0.08 percent legal limit.
Ali has been in the hospital since the Dec. 24 crash, and CHP said he remained there Tuesday. He is expected to be released within 48 hours and taken to Santa Rita Jail.
The officers’ SUV was parked near State Highway 92 near midnight on Dec. 24 as they patrolled for dangerous drivers. Camilleri was in the front passenger seat, and Velasquez was behind the wheel. The Cadillac, which could weigh up to 4,000 pounds, crushed the SUV, according to CHP and court documents.
The Cadillac was seen weaving through traffic before it crashed into the patrol vehicle, according to court documents. Ali allegedly admitted to CHP to being under the influence of both alcohol and drugs, specifically marijuana.
He said that on Christmas Eve, he had threatened his wife and then drove from Manteca to Hayward, where he crashed into an unknown object, a probable cause document states. Ali allegedly said he knew while driving that night that he was impaired and that he should have pulled over “at least three times” but did not, and made the decision to keep driving, CHP Officer Joshua Hughes wrote in the declaration.
CHP officials say they have video evidence that shows Ali speeding. The black box also located in the Cadillac indicates the car was traveling approximately 120 mph at the time of the crash, court documents state.
Ali has three prior speeding tickets, according to DMV records: In February 2015, he was cited for speeding over 65 mph on an unknown freeway and an unsafe lane change; he was also ticketed in June 2015; and in January 2016, he received a citation for speeding over 65 mph on an unknown freeway.
Ali was arrested in 2013 in connection with a commercial burglary, but court records show he was later released and the misdemeanor charge was dismissed.
He was issued a security guard license in September 2016 by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services, which expires in September of this year, according to state records.
O’Malley said that since the Thanksgiving holiday, there have been six deaths at the hands of those driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol in Alameda County.
“That loss of life is avoidable if every driver acts responsibly and lawfully,” she said. “When will we say enough is enough?”
A second-degree murder conviction requires implied malice, with a conscious disregard for human life by a defendant, O’Malley said. By comparison, vehicular manslaughter, a lesser charge, would have required gross negligence from the defendant.
Camillieri, 33, of Tracy, was laid to rest in a Stockton ceremony on Saturday, with 2,000 people in attendance. The father of three graduated from the academy last March.