Cop was drunk and street racing before crash that killed woman, California suit says

The parents of a woman who was killed in a car crash have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy, saying he was drunk driving and street racing.

The parents of Ashley Wells, 23, have sued Deputy Daniel Auner, who is on paid administrative leave, according to CBS Los Angeles.

Wells’ parents say their daughter was a passenger in Auner’s Dodge Charger when the off-duty deputy crashed on July 8. They said he was driving “in a reckless, wanton and dangerous manner,” got into two street races, drove over a road median and collided with a pole, according to the lawsuit filed in Superior Court in Los Angeles County.

Wells died in the crash, and her parents allege Auner was under the influence of alcohol when he was driving and knew he was “substantially, physically, and mentally impaired,” the lawsuit filed July 29 says.

Two of Wells’ friends also were in the car and “had to be extricated and suffered catastrophic injuries” in the crash, KTLA reported.

“It’s shocking to me, and it disgusts the family and it disgusts my office that nothing was done here that should have been done,” the Wells’ family’s attorney, Michael Parker, said, according to CBS Los Angeles. “But what should have happened is there should have been an investigation, and just because somebody is a sheriff’s deputy doesn’t mean they should get any different treatment than a normal citizen, and that’s what we believe and the family believes is happening here.”

This story was originally published November 10, 2020 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Cop was drunk and street racing before crash that killed woman, California suit says."