Harbor City man ordered to stand trial in killing of LAPD Officer Roberto Sanchez - The Daily Breeze

A Harbor City man was ordered Tuesday to stand trial on a murder charge for allegedly ramming a Los Angeles police car on purpose, killing the officer driving it and seriously injuring his partner. Mynor Varela, 21, allegedly was driving up to 63 mph when he slammed his Chevrolet Tahoe into the side of Officer Roberto Sanchez’s patrol car, hitting it so hard it crushed the driver’s seat and bent a wheel so severely it gouged out a chunk of... Police investigators advised Sanchez’s wife and parents to leave the courtroom as prosecutors played sounds of Sanchez moaning in pain before he died. Prosecutors contend Varela intentionally struck the 32-year-old officer’s patrol car to stop him from following his friend, Oscar Vergara, on Anaheim Street near President Avenue in Harbor City early May 3, 2014. Varela is charged with murder,... Varela is scheduled for arraignment June 30. Sanchez’s wife, Sonia, his parents and friends sat a few rows behind Varela’s family members Tuesday as Varela’s preliminary hearing played out about 13 months since the officer’s funeral. Testimony revealed the crash occurred shortly after Varela and his younger brother, Bryan Varela, attended a party at a friend’s apartment above a. Source: www.dailybreeze.com