Liquor Clerk Arrested for Sale Resulting in 3 Family Deaths

On Tuesday, vice investigation detectives and agents from The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) arrested 56-year-old Amor Potestades Amacio of Norwalk for furnishing alcohol to a minor resulting in great bodily harm. Amacio will be charged with the selling/furnishing of alcohol to Carlo Navarro, 20, on Halloween, Oct. 31, at the Green Diamond Liquor, located in the 5300 block of Long Beach Boulevard.

 

A few hours after Navarro was illegally furnished alcohol at the liquor store, he was arrested for gross vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence after fatally striking three pedestrians, who were walking southbound on the west sidewalk of Country Club Drive.

 

Killed were Joseph Awaida, 30, his 32-year-old wife, Rahihan Awaida and their 3-year-old son, Omar.

 

Immediately after the crash, the Long Beach Police Department and ABC opened a Target Responsibility for Alcohol Connected Emergencies (TRACE) investigation to find the source of the alcohol that was consumed by Navarro, an underage driver at the time.

 

After conducting a series of interviews and examining evidence, detectives determined suspect Amacio sold alcohol to Navarro at the Green Diamond Liquor earlier that evening. Amacio was booked for selling alcohol to a minor resulting in great bodily injury and other related administrative charges. Amacio is being held at the Long Beach city jail on $100,000 bail.

 

ABC will be seeking disciplinary action against Green Diamond Liquor’s alcoholic beverage license for furnishing alcohol to a minor, a violation of section 25658(c) of the California Business and Professions Code. The penalty for the business could be a suspension or revocation of the license.