Crash Suspect Is a Parolee

A man who allegedly crashed a stolen tow truck into a crowded Vernon bus stop, killing three people and injuring eight, had been paroled from state prison only hours earlier, police said Friday.

Raymond David Bermudez, 29, who had been serving almost continuous prison time since 1998 in cases involving assault with a deadly weapon and drug possession, was arrested on three counts of suspicion of murder after Thursday’s crash.

The crash killed a husband and wife who left seven children, ages 8 to 18, and a single mother with a 13-year-old son. The victims’ names were withheld by the coroner pending notification of kin.

The injured included a 20-year-old man who was reported in grave condition. Two men, ages 52 and 29, were in critical condition, and a 47-year-old woman was in serious condition, said hospital spokeswoman Adelaida De La Cerda. Conditions of the other victims were unavailable.

Vernon Police Lt. James Rodino said that Bermudez may have thought police were pursuing him, but that they weren’t.

“We don’t know what his thought process was,� Rodino said. “He had just stolen a truck and had a hit-and-run accident before getting to the bus stop, so he probably was at a high anxiety level. He was driving at a high rate of speed.�

Bermudez stole the tow truck from a truck repair shop in Huntington Park and headed north into adjacent Vernon, police said. They said the truck glanced off several vehicles near 57th Street and Santa Fe Avenue but continued on. No one was injured.

A few blocks away, at Vernon and Santa Fe avenues, the truck swerved around an idling bus and veered onto the sidewalk. It barreled through riders waiting to board, flinging several into the air, police said. The truck came to rest after shearing off one utility pole and hitting a second, cutting off power to parts of the city.

“It’s bewildering to me that he did this. I would think that someone getting out of prison would want to try and straighten their life out. That’s what bothers me on a personal level,� Rodino said.

Residents in the almost exclusively industrial town, which is just southeast of downtown Los Angeles and has a permanent population of only 90, were shaken by the sudden mayhem. City Councilman Thomas A. Ybarra heard the crash about 5:20 p.m. and ran outside to find “people lying in the street. There were three dead people. All the lights went out.�

“We’re now dealing with two families that don’t have parents. That alone is tragic,� Rodino said.

Detectives were awaiting the results of toxicology tests to determine whether Bermudez was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The tests were not performed immediately because Bermudez was being treated for injuries, according to police.

Bermudez was released from Salinas Valley State Prison on Thursday morning after serving a 12-month sentence for violating parole ordered after the drug and assault cases, according to the state Department of Corrections. The cases originated in Los Angeles County, but details were not available Friday.

Rodino said that after Bermudez was released Thursday morning, “he immediately came to the Los Angeles area, but we don’t know how he got here.�

Rodino said checks to help families of the dead victims may be sent to the Vernon Police Officers Assn., 4305 Santa Fe Ave., Vernon, CA 90058.

Associated Press contributed to this report.