A Danville man faces felony vehicular manslaughter charges following his arrest for a fatal crash that left a San Leandro woman dead earlier this year.
Police said Andrew Chao, 72, was at the wheel of a minivan that struck a truck in the intersection of Sycamore Valley Boulevard and Camino Ramon on the afternoon of March 1 – a crash that killed a passenger in the truck, 57-year-old Sandy Hall of San Leandro.
Witnesses reportedly told Danville police that Chao “committed an unlawful act in the roadway,” something county prosecutors said was committed with gross negligence when his vehicle struck the pickup truck Hall was riding in.
The force of the impact sent the pickup truck rolling a number of times, injuring three of its occupants – all members of a San Leandro family – and killing Sandy Hall.
Police and prosecutors did not specify what the “unlawful act” was. Investigators determined that alcohol or drugs were not factors in the collision after a months-long investigation.
Mr. Chao’s arraignment is set for 1:30 pm today (August 18th) in Martinez on one count of vehicular manslaughter [PC192(c)(1)]. If convicted, a judge could sentence him to a maximum of six years in state prison.
No explanation was offered as to why Chao’s arrest came at the end of a months-long police investigation into the crash.
Chao, his teenage passenger, and the driver of the truck all suffered minor injuries as a result of the crash.
The Danville man was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility with bail set at $50,000. He faces a single felony count of vehicular manslaughter.
Why did it take so long to charge him?
Any other charges/info (e.g. dui or phone-use) to explain the recklessness?
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