Family of boy killed waiting at Long Beach bus stop confronts driver

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Set us as preferred A 21-year-old Compton man was released last week after serving six months in jail for causing the crash that killed a 15-year-old boy named Carlos Ramirez as he waited for a bus in East Long Beach.From the audience, Carlos’ mother, Monica Gonzalez, watched as a judge sentenced driver Jacob Bustillos to three years of probation in addition to the brief term he’d just completed behind bars.Then, outside the Long Beach courtroom, Gonzalez and Bustillos’ mother shared a tearful hug.“I don’t know how you’re doing it,” Bustillos’ mother said after Gonzalez told Bustillos she forgave him for the crash.Gonzalez responded, “As a mom, that’s what we have to do.”Prosecutors say Bustillos was driving 57 mph in a 40-mph zone on June 11, 2025, when he ran a red light at Carson Street and Palo Verde Avenue and collided with another car.The impact sent Bustillos’ car spinning into a nearby bus stop, where Carlos was waiting after walking a friend home.Signs quickly piled up at his roadside memorial blaming Bustillos for the chain of events and telling other drivers to slow down.After the crash, Bustillos was charged with one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.

He faced up to six years in prison if convicted, but he instead accepted a plea deal to serve six months in jail, be on probation for three years, complete a reckless driving intervention program and complete a two-day program that included a visit to a hospital and a morgue.Speeding has been a major contributing factor in Long Beach’s recent rash of fatal crashes.Both families in this case hope other drivers can learn from Bustillos’ mistake.“I want you to think about this every time you get behind the wheel,” Carlos’ uncle, Jaime Villanueva, told Jacob Bustillos during a statement to the court before the sente...