Josh Klinghoffer, former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist, pleads not guilty to vehicular manslaughter

Josh Klinghoffer, who played guitar with the Red Hot Chili Peppers from 2009 to 2019, has pleaded not guilty to vehicular manslaughter. In July, he was sued for wrongful death and negligence for allegedly running over and killing a pedestrian in Alhambra, California.

Rolling Stone reported that through his lawyer Blair Bernholz Berk, Klinghoffer pleaded not guilty, and was arraigned on a misdemeanour charge of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence.

According to the lawsuit, which was filed by the family of Israel Sanchez, the 47-year-old man who died after the incident on March 18, Klinghoffer was allegedly on his phone while driving an SUV. It states that he made a left turn while Sanchez crossed the street in a marked crosswalk.

Sanchez sustained blunt-force trauma to the head after he was struck by Klinghoffer’s vehicle, and died from his injuries hours later. The lawsuit states that no arrest was made following the incident.

In a statement to Pitchfork, Andrew B. Brettler, Klinghoffer’s attorney, called it a “tragic accident”. He said: “After the car struck the pedestrian, Josh immediately pulled over, stopped the vehicle, called 911, and waited until police and the ambulance arrived. He is fully cooperating with the traffic investigation.”

The Sanchez family attorney, Nick Rowley, told Variety: “Mr. Klinghoffer should be arrested and prosecuted for homicide. We have a video of him on his cell phone at the time he hit and killed Israel Sanchez, a loving father, in a crosswalk.

“Israel Sanchez was on his way to the grocery store to make soup for his family and never came home. He did everything right, looking for oncoming traffic and abiding by pedestrian signage, but tragically Mr. Klinghoffer, in a rush and on his phone, hit him fatally from behind with a large SUV.

“The loss and grief that the Sanchez family now faces is immense. We will not stop until there is accountability and justice for Mr. Sanchez and his family.”