A 46-year-old man accused of intentionally driving into a group of people in Long Beach was charged Tuesday with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
Khalid Yagobbi, of Los Angeles, pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon at the Long Beach Courthouse. It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
During Tuesday's arraignment, a prosecutor said Yagobbi was an Uber driver with a passenger in his car at the time of the crash. NBCLA has reached out to Uber for comment.
Bond was set at $50,000. His next court appearance is Oct. 24.
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Yagobbi was speeding east in westbound lanes around 6:30 p.m. Saturday on Shoreline Drive in a Chevy Bolt when he went through a red light and crashed into several people walking at the intersection, police said. He also slammed into several occupied vehicles without slowing near Aquarium Way, according to police.
Romelia Cuarenta Aguilar, 60, of Long Beach, died at the scene. Witnesses said she was hit by the as he pushed a child in stroller in the crosswalk.
"It was just terrible," one witness told NBCLA. "So, we just started, myself and a few other people, just started kind of praying for her. There was a young man that just started yelling and running towards her, just yelling, 'No,' and everything was just chaotic."
Aguilar's family said she was in the area to attend a Halloween event. She stopped by a food truck where her brother was working.
“I want justice in respect to what happened. There was no reason for my sister to die such a tragic death,” said Juan Carlos Cuarenta, the brother of Romelia Aguilar Cuarenta.
Several other people suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Yagobbi remained at the scene and was hospitalized. He was then arrested and booked at Long Beach Jail. Although he was initially booked on suspicion of murder, he was charged Tuesday with the lesser charge of vehicular manslaughter.
Yagobbi's driver's access to the platform was removed when the crash was reported to Uber, the company said.
"We are shocked by the details of this unthinkable tragedy," Uber said in a statement. "Our heartfelt condolences go out to Romelia Aguilar's loved ones during this painful time, and we hope all those injured make a swift recovery. We are committed to assisting law enforcement however we can as they continue to investigate."
Details about a motive for the crash were not immediately available.
Police urged anyone with information about the crash to call them at 562-570-7244.
