Indian American Charged With Patrol Officer’s Death

A 22-year-old Indian American Mohammed Abraar Ali was charged with second-degree murder while driving under the influence of a combination of marijuana and alcohol on Christmas eve. The California resident is accused of killing Highway Patrol rookie officer Andrew Camilleri and injuring Officer Jonathan Velasquez.

Ali was reportedly speeding at 120 miles per hour when he crashed his Cadillac into a parked patrol car on Interstate Highway 880 in Hayward around midnight on Dec. 24. Camilleri, 33, is survived by his wife and three children, aged 12, 6 and 2 years, according to Gov. Jerry Brown’s office.

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley charged Ali with driving under the influence of a combination of marijuana and alcohol. He is said to have told paramedics at the scene of the incident that he had ingested marijuana. His blood alcohol level was at 0.11 per cent. The permitted level in California is 0.08 per cent. He is also charged with causing great bodily injury to Velasquez.

“The loss of life which could have been avoidable if every driver acts responsibly and lawfully,” O’Malley said, according to ABC10. “This holiday season, since Thanksgiving, we have seen six tragic deaths at the hands of individuals who were alleged to be driving under the influence of a substance either alcohol or drugs.”

Ali is also said to have told KTVU San Francisco that he had consumed both marijuana and alcohol. He apparently also told investigators that he had threatened his wife on Dec. 24, knew that he was impaired and still continued to drive.

The California Highway Patrol said that Camilleri and Velasquez were parked on Interstate 880 in Hayward looking for reckless or impaired drivers when Ali’s car crashed into theirs.

Ali was also injured in the crash and stayed in the hospital for 48 hours before being sent to Santa Rita Jail.

Camilleri’s family, friends and many law enforcement officers and firefighters attended his memorial last week in the central California city of Stockton. He had become a highway patrol officer only in March.