South Lake Tahoe man sentenced to 56 months in prison

South Lake Tahoe resident Larry Martinez Guzman, aka Larry Guzman-Martinez, 33, was sentenced to 4 years and 8 months in state prison after pleading no contest to the charges of felony driving under the influence causing injury, felony assault, and hit and run.

Guzman also admitted that he had a high blood alcohol content at the time of the collision and that he had been convicted of misdemeanor DUI charges within the last ten years. As part of the plea, Guzman’s license was revoked for five years after his release from prison, and his vehicle was impounded. Guzman was sentenced on August 14 by the Honorable Suzanne N. Kingsbury in Department 3 of the El Dorado Superior Court.

Back on March 18, 2017, Guzman was driving home in his Jeep at 7:30 a.m. after a night of drinking. He ran through a stop sign and drove into a man on a bicycle at the intersection of Pioneer Trail and Midway Avenue. The collision launched the cyclist into the road and caused him to sustain lacerations and other minor injuries.

A witness saw Guzman leave the scene, so he called 911 and followed him to a side street off of Glenwood Way. According South Lake Tahoe Police (SLTPD) Sgt. Shannon Laney at the time, Guzman turned his Jeep around and drove directly at the unidentified witness who was able to use evasive maneuvers and avoid a collision.

Guzman fled the area.

SLTPD went to his home in the Bijou Neighborhood where they found the Jeep in the driveway. The vehicle had front end damage consistent with contact with the cyclist. Officers found Guzman asleep in his bed, woke him up. They found his Blood Alcohol Level to be .24 percent, almost triple the legal limit of .08 percent.

After driving into a cul-de-sac, Guzman attempted to flee and then drove toward the witness’ vehicle, causing the concerned citizen to back up to avoid being struck. That witness then called in a description of Guzman’s vehicle, and a South Lake Tahoe Police Department police officer later discovered his damaged vehicle parked in a residential area driveway.

The officer then entered the home where Guzman’s vehicle was parked and found him inside. Guzman had an odor of alcohol, very slurred speech and other symptoms of alcohol intoxication. Guzman initially denied that he failed to assist the cyclist, claiming he had stopped to help but felt it was okay for him to leave the scene. Guzman-Martinez’s blood alcohol content reading taken later at the hospital was three times the legal limit at .24%.