San Diego Police Department Officer Acquitted for Oceanside Car Accident and Road Rage Assault
The case involving off-duty San Diego Police Officer Frank White has finally been settled. On Monday, a jury found Officer White not guilty in this road-rage car accident that occurred in Oceanside in March of 2008 that culminated in the shooting of a woman and her young son. Officer White, 29, was acquitted of a felony count of grossly negligent discharge of a firearm and a misdemeanor count of exhibiting a firearm.
Prosecutors of the case argued that White was an easily-angered man who had no justification for not only displaying his revolver, but also firing five rounds into Rachel Silva's car at night on March 15, 2008. Silva had been struck twice in the arm and her son was struck in the leg. Deputy District Attorney Jeff Dusek noted that as a trained police officer, White should have taken other steps to diffuse the situation that brought about the shootings. White had been off-duty and not in uniform at the time it happened, and his wife Jacquellyn was reportedly with him at the time.
You can read more about this Oceanside car accident and road rage incident in this SignOnSanDiego.com story.
Both sides had agreed that Silva initiated the confrontation when she continually revved her engine and drove closer to the bumper of the car, causing White to have to swerve to avoid her. Silva was drunk and high on drugs at the time. White's wife testified that she thought Silva was going to ram their car and feared for their lives. Silva tailgated them into a Lowe's parking lot and White pointed his .38-caliber revolver at her to get her to back down. White's wife called 911 to report Silva and forty seconds later, Silva called to report a man with a gun. As she continued to back up into his car, White continued to fire rounds through her windshield. At the time of the incident, Silva's blood-alcohol level was measured at twice the legal limit and was driving on a suspended license. She is now scheduled to be sentenced next month for felony charges of child endangerment and misdemeanor drunk driving, to which she pleaded guilty. She faces up to two years in prison.
Our attitudes and responses to what happens on the road can lead to very dangerous and fatal situations in San Diego County. While we cannot always be prepared for the scenarios we will face on the road, our reactions to them are paramount to keeping the road and everyone on it safe and alive.
If you or anyone you know has ever been injured or killed in a San Diego car accident, please contact San Diego car wreck attorney Ross Jurewitz and the San Diego personal injury lawyers at the Jurewitz Law Group at (619) 233-5020. You may also contact a San Diego injury attorney online here.
