A motorist who got into a collision in Mission Beach on the Fourth of July and then drove onto the boardwalk and sand, injuring several people, pleaded guilty Monday to felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon and DUI.
Villiami Pomale, who also admitted a misdemeanor count of reckless driving, faces up to three years in prison when he is sentenced Aug. 28.
At Pomale’s arraignment last month, Deputy District Karra Reedy said the 45-year-old driver clipped a skateboarder and hit a pole on Mission Boulevard about 6 p.m. on Independence Day.
Witnesses confronted Pomale, but he sped off onto the beach, running over a beachgoer’s towel and causing a number of people to jump out of the way, the prosecutor said.
Pomale then rear-ended a car and cursed at a passenger who got out of the vehicle, Reedy said.
She said an off-duty police officer yelled at the parties to exchange information, but Pomale drove off and brushed against the officer, hitting his arm and causing him to drop his cell phone.
Reedy said the defendant hit four people, and noted there were thousands of people on the beach that day. The prosecutor said Pomale was driving 40 to 50 mph.
A breathalyzer test used to determine if a person is under the influence of alcohol was measured at 0.18 percent after Pomale was arrested, Reedy said.
— City News Service
