ALHAMBRA, Calif. (KTLA) — Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Josh Klinghoffer is scheduled to be arraigned on a manslaughter charge Thursday morning, court records show.
Klinghoffer, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee who has also worked with Pearl Jam and Jane’s Addiction, has been accused of distracted driving in the death of Israel Sanchez in Alhambra, California, in March.
Sanchez was said to be walking in a crosswalk when he was hit by a GMC Yukon believed to be driven by Klinghoffer.
In addition to a civil suit filed by the family, Klinghoffer is facing a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence, according to court records.
“Video of the incident shows that Defendant Klinghoffer made no efforts to brake or slow down until after he fatally struck Mr. Sanchez, indicating that Klinghoffer was likely to be driving while distracted,” the Sanchez family’s attorneys said in a news release. “Video taken seconds before the incident shows an object between the steering wheel and the driver that is believed to be a phone.”
A request for comment by Klinghoffer’s attorney was not immediately returned.
Andrew Brettler, an attorney for Klinghoffer, previously told TMZ that the incident was “a tragic accident.”
“After Josh struck this pedestrian in the intersection, he immediately pulled over, stopped the car, called 911 and waited until police and the ambulance arrived,” Brettler said. “Obviously, he’s cooperating with the police throughout the traffic investigation. This was purely a tragic accident.”
Klinghoffer, 44, became the youngest member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when he was inducted alongside the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the age of 32 in 2012. (That record is now held by Ilan Rubin of Nine Inch Nails.) Since his departure from Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2019, Klinghoffer has also been a touring member of Pearl Jam, and is listed as a contributing musician on their most recent album.
