CASE OF INTEREST

Date: February 5, 2003
Case: People v. Antoine Jean Pierre Bernard, Case Number 02F08072
Contact: Lani Biafore, Deputy District Attorney, Felony Teams, 916-874-8843

District Attorney Jan Scully announced today the sentencing of Antoine Jean Pierre Bernard to six years in state prison for felony vehicular manslaughter, evading a peace officer and vehicle theft. On January 31, 2003, the Honorable Joseph Orr sentenced the defendant to six years in state prison. He also ordered the defendant to pay restitution in excess of $17,000.00. Antoine Jean Pierre Bernard was a minor when proceedings commenced, but ultimately was tried as an adult in the Sacramento County Superior Court. At the sentencing, the defendant expressed remorse over the accident and accepted the blame for his "careless and selfish decisions" on the incident date.

The incident arose from what should have been a night of celebration on June 8, 2002, as all three minors involved recently graduated from Laguna High School. Antoine Jean Pierre Bernard was driving in a stolen vehicle the night he picked up his two best friends. While driving on Martin Luther King Boulevard at approximately 12:26 a.m., the defendant began to panic over the sight of a Sheriff's patrol vehicle behind him. The defendant's erratic driving and an abrupt u-turn drew the deputy's attention to the vehicle and a routine record check revealed the car was stolen. As the deputies put on their overhead lights and sirens, the defendant notified his friends that the vehicle was stolen. He initially pulled into a gas station in an apparent attempt to stop the vehicle. However, the defendant quickly drove out of the gas station and accelerated on Martin Luther King Boulevard. A high-speed pursuit ensued whereby the defendant's friends begged and pleaded for him to stop the vehicle. The defendant's vehicle reached speeds between 90 to 100 miles per hour as he traveled down Martin Luther King Boulevard. Sheriff deputies had to accelerate to catch up to the defendant's vehicle. The defendant attempted to negotiate a left turn at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Broadway and lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle slammed into a tree and the force of the collision caused the vehicle to split in half.

The right front passenger died instantly from blunt force trauma injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The left rear passenger was ejected during the crash and suffered a broken leg. After several surgeries, the surviving passenger was fitted with a metal rod in his leg, thus dashing all hopes of a military career. According to the surviving passenger, the deputy "was just doing his job" and "none of this would have happened" had Antoine just stopped the vehicle.

Deputy District Attorney Lani Biafore stated, "This is truly an unfortunate situation for all involved. There will never be a way to rectify the grief the victims' families are feeling at this time. Teenagers need to be aware that their decisions can have dire consequences that affect them for a lifetime."

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