Americans were shocked last week when someone drove through a group of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department recruits who were out for a run, with several needing to have their limbs amputated.
That shock only grew on Thursday evening when the man accused of the crime walked out of jail.
The suspect is expected to be re-arrested soon
According to the New York Post, 22-year-old Nicholas Joseph Gutierrez was “provisionally” released due to a California law which bars suspects from being held for more than 48 hours without a case being put before prosecutors.
The Post added that Gutierrez is expected to be re-arrested once investigators have presented sufficient evidence to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Sgt. Gerardo Magos serves as a spokesperson for the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, and he told the Los Angels Times, “The evidence is there. We just want to make sure it’s properly presented.”
Meanwhile, L.A. County Sherriff Alex Villanueva told NewsNation that he has seen evidence the horrifying incident was a “deliberate act” on Gutierrez’s part.
Sherriff concerned about how L.A.’s left-wing district attorney will handle the case
However, Villanueva also expressed concern about the case given that it will be handled by L.A. County’s notoriously left-wing district attorney.
“We operate under prosecutor George Gascón,” Villanueva was quoted as saying. “We definitely have grave concerns about his ability to prosecute.”
“We are actually going to provisionally release him (Gutierrez) until we can have the case iron clad, iron proof, and submitted to the DA for filing consideration. Right now, we want to tie up all the loose ends on the case and then present it to the DA,” the sheriff continued.
“We already had probable cause to arrest, but now we have to take it to beyond unreasonable doubt in the proof in court,” Villanueva added.
NewsNation also quoted Villanueva as saying during a Thursday appearance on “Dan Abrams Live” that two of his department’s trainees “still remain in critical condition, one at UC Irvine, the other one at St. Francis Hospital.”
“The one in St. Francis he’s on life support with a serious brain bleeding and swelling. That is our biggest concern right there,” the sheriff stressed.