A Los Angeles Police Department sergeant accused of fatally striking a 19-year-old pedestrian in Tustin while driving drunk and fleeing the scene, leaving the young man to die in the street, pleaded not guilty to the felony charges on Friday, as his attorney denied that the veteran law enforcement officer was aware that night that he struck anyone.

Carlos Gonzalo Coronel, 40, of Buena Park, was released on $100,000 bail after being ordered to wear an alcohol monitor during a brief hearing in a Orange County superior courtroom, days after he was charged with felony DUI and hit-and-run charges, as well as a sentencing enhancement for allegedly causing great bodily injury.

Prosecutors allege that Coronel during a night out drinking around 3:40 a.m. on Feb. 1, 2025 was driving his black Chevy Silverado pickup when he struck Gonzalez near Nisson Road and Del Amo Avenue.

Attorney Randy Collins, who is representing Coronel, said the sergeant was “unaware that he struck anything or anyone,” the night of Gonzalez’s death but declined to comment further on the allegations. The defense attorney also declined to comment on Cornel’s previous misdemeanor DUI conviction in 2011 or a potential probation revocation the sergeant was facing at the time of the fatal collision.

Coronel is still employed by the LAPD, his attorney said, but he is home on paid leave from the agency. Collins said he has received “a lot” of letters in support of Coronel — who became a sergeant last year — from those who have worked with him and under him at the LAPD.

“He has done a lot for the community in his 17 years as a police officer, so we are asking (people) to be mindful of the service he has already rendered and to reserve judgment until we get all the facts,” his lawyer said.

Emotional family members and supporters of Gonzalez attended the hearing. They described Gonzalez as a hard-working young man who toiled at two jobs in order to help his family try to buy a home.

Attorney Linda Iannelli, who is representing the victim’s family, said they are pleased the DA’s office was able to file the current charges, but frustrated that the penalties those charges carry “max out at six years, eight months.

“Hopefully, he will make the right decision and plead to the charges rather than put the family through trial,” Iannelli said. “Regardless, justice is just starting.”

Prosecutors say the charges against Coronel were filed after “months of intense investigation…

“The investigation was reviewed by our most experienced prosecutors and the charges filed are the maximum charges allowable under the law based on the evidence we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Kimberly Edds, a DA office spokeswoman. “We have been in regular communication with the family regarding the investigation, the charges, and the limitations of the law throughout this entire process.”

Gonzalez’s family and supporters were joined at the courthouse by activists who carried signs calling for justice for Gonzalez and “full prosecution” of Coronel. The sergeant’s previous DUI record should have ended his law enforcement career, they argued.

“Unfortunately, this tragedy is not an anomaly, it is part of a pattern, a pattern of police violence, coverups, and misconduct that have gone unchecked for decades,” said Jocelyn Pacheco, a member of the police accountability committee of CSO Orange County, a local grassroots organization that advocates for the Chicano community. “This is not the first time we are demanding justice and accountability from a police department, this is not the first time a family has been shattered and unless we act it will not be the last.”

“It was not a mistake, it was not an accident, it was criminal negligence and cowardice,” she added.

Prosecutors say that Gonzalez was walking in the street when he was struck and killed. His body was discovered minutes after the collision, still in the roadway, by two people were were on their way home from work.

Coronel continued driving to his girlfriend’s home after the collision, prosecutors allege, and never called 911, despite the front end of his pickup suffering significant damage. When the girlfriend drove Coronel back to his Buena Park home later that morning, prosecutors say he directed her to avoid the portion of Nisson Road where the collision occurred.

Prosecutors also allege that Coronel later drove past the crime scene while Tustin police investigators were still investigating Gonzales’s death but did not contact them. And they say Coronel also searched the internet to find out if there had been a fatal hit-and-run in Tustin.

Tustin investigators ended up identifying Coronel as the registered owner of the car they believed was involved in Gonzalez’s death and arrested the sergeant hours after the fatal collision.

Prosecutors have not outlined how they determined Coronel was inebriated at the time of the collision. Collins, Coronel’s attorney, said he has received no notification that a blood alcohol test was taken the night of the collision, which he said raised questions about why his client is facing a DUI charge.

Asked for comment following the felony charges being filed against Coronel, LAPD officials released a statement saying they were “committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, professionalism, and accountability…

“We do not tolerate misconduct of any kind, and any violations of department policies or the public trust are taken seriously,” The LAPD statement read. “All allegations of officer misconduct are thoroughly investigated, and appropriate action is taken to ensure accountability. Our commitment is to serve and protect the community with fairness, respect, and transparency.”