Highway officer to face charge

Off-duty patrolman is accused of fatally striking pedestrian with his motorcycle in Long Beach

A California Highway Patrol motorcycle officer was facing a misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charge after he fatally struck a pedestrian in Long Beach in 2019, with allegations that the officer was speeding excessively, lawyers said Monday.

Alfredo Gutierrez, 38, was accused of speeding when the motorcycle he was driving struck and killed Cezannie Mount, 24, on Del Amo Boulevard near Cherry Avenue the morning of Oct. 27, 2019, according to a criminal complaint. Gutierrez, who was ejected from his motorcycle after striking Mount and was hospitalized for major head trauma, was on his way to work at the time of the crash, CHP officials said earlier.

Mount was crossing Del Amo Boulevard outside of a crosswalk when he was hit, according to CHP officials.

“As prosecutors we need to put aside our emotions and focus on the facts of the case, treating every defendant fairly, without prejudice for or against,” Long Beach City Prosecutor Doug Haubert said in a Monday statement. “In this case, that meant filing vehicular manslaughter charges related to the death of Cezannie Mount.”

Gutierrez was employed at the CHP South Los Angeles office at the time of the crash; and

remains assigned there to duties in which there is no public contact, Capt. Joe Zizi said in a Monday interview.

He declined to comment on the criminal case or a civil case.

The CHP was handling the investigation of the crash, Long Beach police spokesman Brandon Fahey said in a Monday email.

Gutierrez was charged with vehicular manslaughter in October, nearly one year after the incident. If convicted, he could face up to one year in county jail.

His next court appearance, an arraignment and plea, were scheduled for March 19 at the Long Beach Courthouse.

Lawyers for the Mount family filed a civil lawsuit against Gutierrez and the CHP in May, alleging wrongful death and negligence.

The lawsuit accuses Gutierrez of driving at least 70 mph in a 40 mph zone at the time of the crash, in an area known for foot traffic, said Annee Della Donna, a lawyer for the Mount family.

He was driving a CHP motorcycle and did not have his lights or sirens on at the time of the crash, court records show.

Della Donna said that Gutierrez had a history of speeding and that the crash was “an accident waiting to happen.”

Before becoming a CHP officer, Della Donna said that DMV records showed that Gutierrez had four speeding tickets within five years.

He also participated in racing motorbikes, she said.

“This is not who you should trust to be a police officer on a motorcycle,” Della Donna said.

The family's lawyer was also critical of the CHP handling the investigation, calling for an independent investigation. The lawsuit asks for a jury trial.

A lawyer for the CHP and Gutierrez filed a motion after the criminal case was filed, asking for the civil case to be put on hold until the conclusion of the criminal case against Gutierrez.

The lawyer, who works with the California Department of Justice, did not immediately respond to comment.

Alvin Mount, Cezannie Mount's father, said since his son died it “feels like I'm in some sort of hell.”

His son, a star basketball player at Long Beach Poly High School who graduated in 2013, always loved music.

Mount had a lot of friends, including close ones who he made hiphop music with, according to his father.

The family would take frequent road trips to visit family in the South and Alvin Mount said he would always let his son be the DJ.

Some of his favorite artists were Drake and Lil Wayne.

Eventually, Mount graduated college in 2018 at Earlham College in Indiana, with a degree in music.

His parents, younger sister and aunt flew out to celebrate the milestone with him.

When Mount came home, he spent most of his time working at Raising Cane's in Lakewood, to pay for studio time to make music.

“He was working on about eight songs that he wanted to release of his music,” Alvin Mount said. “Most of his music just kind of represented life, relationships, friendships and things of that nature.”

Mount was walking home from work and was in his neighborhood when he was struck by Gutierrez, his father said.

“We live in a residential area and he was speeding,” Alvin Mount said. “For us, we have no idea how he didn't even see our son.”