Behind the Badge
A 25-year-old Westminster man is expected to be arraigned on murder charges Friday after allegedly drinking and driving, crashing his car and leaving the passenger for dead in a gutter, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.
Jonathan Samoff, 25, is accused of being involved in a drunken driving traffic collision at about 3:15 a.m. on March 8.
He crashed his car through a brick wall, landing on the sidewalk near a light pole. The collision killed the 26-year-old passenger, Isaias Tang, according to the DA’s release.
Prosecutors said Samoff pulled Tang from the car and left him in the gutter.
Samoff is accused of fleeing to Omaha, Nebraska where he was tracked down by the Westminster Police Department and later arrested.
Before this incident, Samoff signed a document after being convicted of drunken driving in 2009 in Los Angeles County that stated if he committed the crime again and killed someone, he could face murder charges, the release said.
Samoff is being held on $1 million bail.
He faces a maximum of 15 years to life in state prison.
