Man Admits To Drunken Santa Monica Train Crash

LOS ANGELES, CA — A 55-year-old Connecticut man pleaded no contest Monday to driving under the influence and injuring his two 16-year-old sons in a crash with a Metro train in Santa Monica.

Anthony Manual Beltran Sr. entered his plea to a felony count of DUI causing injury and admitted causing great bodily injury.

Beltran, who has been jailed since his arrest the day after the April 18, 2018, crash, was immediately sentenced to 469 days in jail already served and five years of formal probation.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Yvette Verastegui also ordered Beltran to attend nine months of classes related to alcohol abuse and one year of parenting classes.

Beltran drove through a red light near Lincoln Boulevard and Colorado Avenue around 12:30 a.m. and struck Metro Expo Line train number 669. Beltran and both his sons were injured, but no one on the train was hurt.

Prosecutors said the defendant's blood-alcohol content was .27% when measured, more than three times the legal limit.

City News Service