Justice for Angel Bojorquez Finally Begins

Angel Bojorquez. Photo from his Facebook profile

A little over three months after 18 year old Angel Bojorquez was left for dead, the driver who struck Bojorquez and left him to die pleaded guilty to a hit-and-run felony earlier today. The driver, Jin Hyuk Byun, 19,

faces probation on the low end and four years in prison on the high end of the sentencing scale when he returns to the Vista courthouse on Jan. 3.

According to court testimony, Byun was behind the wheel of a black 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche that struck 18-year-old Angel Bojorquez, a grocery clerk at an Albertsons supermarket in Del Mar, sometime after 1 a.m. on July 6.

Police and California Highway Patrol officers testified at a preliminary hearing last month that Byun was sweating when authorities showed up at his home to question him about the damaged SUV.

We hope that the justice system will offer the Bojorquez family some measure of closure for the untimely death of Angel. Furthermore, we call on the county to make a commitment to ensure that all of the county’s surface streets are redesigned with enough streets lights and protected bike infrastructure that facilitate safe travels by residents on all modes of transportation. No one should have to be forced to ride a bicycle as a last resort in order to reach their destination and then pay the price for that decision with their life, like Angel did. San Diego can and should do better.