The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control on Monday, Feb. 1 suspended the license of a North Long Beach liquor store whose clerk was accused of selling alcohol to an underage man who was later charged in a DUI crash that killed three people.
A 25-day notice of suspension was handed to Green Diamond Liquor, at 5331 Long Beach Blvd., on Monday, rendering it “immediately prohibited from selling alcohol until the suspension concludes on February 26, 2021,” ABC said in a statement.
“The disciplinary action at Green Diamond Liquor follows a Target Responsibility for Alcohol-Connected Emergencies (TRACE) investigation,” the statement read.
The suspension comes more than a year after the agency and Long Beach police arrested the store’s clerk, 56-year-old Amor Potestades Amacio, in December 2019. Amacio allegedly sold alcohol to Carlo Navarro, 20, of Long Beach, on the day of the Oct. 31, 2019 crash, the Long Beach Police Department reported.
“Immediately after the crash, ABC and the Long Beach Police Department opened the TRACE investigation to find the source of the alcohol that was consumed by the underage driver,” ABC said in the statement, adding:
“ABC Agents conducted a series of interviews, examined evidence, and were able to determine that a Green Diamond Liquor employee furnished alcohol to the minor at the store prior to the crash.”
Amacio, of Norwalk, was booked on suspicion of selling alcohol to a minor resulting in great bodily injury and “other related administrative charges,” according to police.
The Halloween night crash at Country Club Drive and Los Cerritos Park Place occurred a few hours after Amacio sold the alcohol to Navarro, who was below the legal age to buy booze, police allege.
Navarro was arrested at the scene, accused of killing Joseph Awaida, 30, Raihan Dakhil, 32, and their 3-year-old son, Omar. The family was walking on a sidewalk when Navarro failed to make a turn and instead drove onto walkway and struck them, police have said.
See related: Community comes together to mourn Awaida family killed in fatal collision on Halloween night
Navarro faces 45 years to life in prison if convicted of three counts each of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
