Crime & Safety

Cop Killed in DUI Crash Was Texting

A Costa Mesa Police Department veteran was texting while driving under the influence when he crashed into a freeway pillar on the 55 and died.

A 32-year veteran of the Costa Mesa Police Department was texting and had almost twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system when he slammed his car into a concrete overpass pillar on the 55 Freeway and died in March, according to Newport Beach police investigators.

57, was off duty when at about 10:15 p.m. March 6, his car struck the pillar on Bristol Street under the Costa Mesa (55) Freeway, according to Costa Mesa police.

Responding Costa Mesa police officers and firefighters took Delgadillo to Santa Ana's Western Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 12:29 a.m. March 7.

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According to the Los Angeles Times, Newport Beach officers determined Delgadillo had been drinking at Mi Casa restaurant and Skosh Monahan's in Costa Mesa before the fatal crash.

According to the Los Angeles Times report, “the primary cause of the crash was determined to be driving under the influence of alcohol, with making an unsafe turning movement as a contributing factor.”

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Delgadillo's blood-alcohol level was measured at .14 at the hospital, according to the coroner's report.

Delgadillo was popular in the Costa Mesa department, said Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy, who worked with him for 11 years.

Delgadillo was considered humble and hardworking with a dry sense of humor, Murphy said.

He joined the Costa Mesa police force in October 1981. Among his beats was the sprawling South Coast Plaza shopping center.

From 1988 through 1994, Delgadillo worked with the canine unit and was given multiple commendations for work with his canine partner Nero.

In 1996, Delgadillo joined the gang unit as an investigator, transferring to the anti-drug unit the next year. In 2004, he was assigned to the detective bureau.

- City News Service contributed to this report.


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