Man accepts plea deal for DUI in Huntington Beach that killed friend, sentenced to 4 years

A 23-year-old man arrested in 2020 on charges of gross vehicular manslaughter for a Huntington Beach DUI collision that killed his friend and passenger pleaded guilty Thursday and was immediately sentenced to four years in prison.

Miguel Angel Guzman faced four felony charges, including one count of manslaughter and three additional counts of DUI involving alcohol and drugs, as well as three felony enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury. He reportedly could have faced 10 years of prison time if convicted on all charges.

Instead, he accepted a plea deal from Orange County Superior Court Judge Andrew Manssourian and received a reduced sentence of four years, City News Service reported.

Guzman’s Aug. 23, 2020, arrest stemmed from a collision that took place shortly before 1 a.m. that day, when rescue crews were called to the intersection of Springdale Street and McFadden Avenue in Huntington Beach.

Police told CNS at the time of the incident the vehicle Guzman had been driving reportedly ran over a median and slammed into a light pole.

A passenger in the vehicle — identified as 25-year-old Lance Jones, of Moreno Valley, a friend of Guzman’s — had to be extricated from the vehicle, CNS reported. He was transported to UC Irvine Medical Center and died from his injuries at 5:21 a.m. that same day.

Guzman was released on $100,000 bail four days after the crash.

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