on Sunday, April 18, 2021, employees at an In-N-Out Burger in the 2800 block of Park Avenue spotted Pantoja in a the drive-thru lane, appearing to fall asleep behind the wheel of a Toyota Rav-4 he had stolen hours earlier from a parking lot at the Pechanga Casino and Resort in Temecula.Īs an officer walked up to the SUV, Pantoja sped off. Pantoja’s sentence means he was ordered to serve 38 years and four months behind bars before he is eligible for parole.Īround 8:45 a.m.

“I’m asking you to forgive me, because I don’t know if I will ever forgive myself.” “I’m asking you to possibly find it in your hearts to someday find the strength and will to forgive me,” Pantoja said. He added that he now hopes to help others who are struggling with addiction. Describing himself as “a drug addict and a criminal,” Pantoja said he has struggled to understand why he survived and a “good, innocent man” like Kawashima died.

Pantoja repeatedly apologized to Kawashima’s family. “He genuinely saw you, felt your heart and responded with his,” said Susan Kawashima, David’s older sister, about his ability to set his photographic subjects at ease. Bill Barber Marine Corps Memorial Park, and a photography studio at the Irvine Fine Arts Center was renamed in his honor. After his death, Kawashima’s name was added to Irvine’s “Wall of Recognition” at Col. Kawashima worked with Irvine officials for nearly 15 years, visually documenting countless city milestones and moments. guilty of second-degree murder for the 2021 pursuit and crash that ended with the death of David Kawashima, a 62-year-old professional photographer from Orange who for years had worked extensively with the city of Irvine.įamily members, during an emotional sentencing hearing in a Fullerton courtroom, described Kawashima as a skillful award-winning photographer, music lover, devoted family man and an easy-going, compassionate presence. A Diamond Bar man who crashed into and killed another motorist in Tustin during a high-speed police chase in a stolen car while under the influence of methamphetamine was sentenced Friday to 38 years and four months to life in prison.Īn Orange County Superior Court jury earlier this year found Pedro Pantoja Jr.

Pechanga casino parking