What to Know
- A former Philadelphia police officer involved in a crash that killed a pedestrian in 2017 pleaded guilty Tuesday.
- Officer Adam Soto was off-duty when he struck and killed Daniel Dimitri as he tried to cross Cottman and Algon avenues in Philadelphia.
- Soto was driving more than 80 miles per hour when he struck Dimitri, investigators said.
An off-duty Philadelphia Police officer who struck and killed a man while speeding near a high school pleaded guilty to a felony vehicular homicide charge and a misdemeanor count of involuntary manslaughter.
Adam Soto, 25, will be sentenced on Jan. 11.
Police say Soto and another officer, Tony Forest, 25, were both driving on the 1600 block of Cottman Avenue back on Jan. 31, 2017, around 11:30 a.m. Both officers were off-duty at the time.
Officials say Soto was driving 89 mph when he struck 50-year-old Daniel Dimitri who was running across the street. Dimitri was taken to the hospital where he died from his injuries a short time later.
After a lengthy investigation, Soto was arrested in April 2017 and charged with homicide by vehicle and involuntary manslaughter. Forest, 25, was not charged criminally but was charged with departmental violations after investigators determined he was driving recklessly as well.
Soto was a 3-year veteran of the department assigned to the 24th District. Forest was a 3-year veteran assigned to the 14th District.
Soto and Forest were both fired after the incident.
