A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after pleading no contest to charges arising from a fatal off-duty crash in Torrance. The crash resulted in the death of his 23-year-old passenger and caused serious injuries to two other individuals in the vehicle. The deputy, Daniel Manuel Auner, 25, was immediately taken into custody following the sentencing at the Torrance Courthouse. He entered a plea of no contest on May 31 to charges including voluntary manslaughter, gross vehicular manslaughter, and assault with a deadly weapon.
The crash occurred just after midnight on July 8, 2020. Auner’s Dodge Charger was traveling at a speed of 116 mph when it struck the center median. The vehicle was traveling at least 71 mph when it collided with a traffic pole at the corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and 190th Street. The impact resulted in the death of Ashley Wells, 23, who sustained multiple traumatic injuries. Two other occupants of the vehicle suffered significant injuries, with one hospitalized for 22 days and the other for 10 days.
Torrance Police Officer Brooks Wing, who responded to the scene, described it as chaotic. Auner, who had a gash on his forehead, claimed that he lost control of the vehicle after being caught off-guard by a curve in the road. Detective Robert Schuffman of the Torrance Police Department investigated the crash and determined that the vehicle had been traveling at an unsafe speed. A blood-alcohol test conducted approximately 1.5 hours after the crash showed a level of .077, just below the legal limit for impairment.
Auner’s defense argued that there was evidence of drinking but no evidence of intoxication. They maintained that the cause of the crash was solely unsafe speed. Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Miyata countered that Auner, as a law enforcement officer, had a heightened knowledge of the dangers associated with drinking and speeding. Superior Court Judge Alan Honeycutt noted that Auner’s specialized training would have made him aware of the risks, and the evidence suggested that he may have been racing another vehicle. Testimony also indicated that Auner had disabled the safety systems of his car, which further compromised his ability to control it.
Auner was initially held on $1 million bail but was later released on $100,000 bail with electronic monitoring and restrictions on driving and alcohol consumption. His peace officer powers have been suspended since July 2020, and he is currently relieved of duty without pay, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
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