Former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist pleads not guilty to vehicular manslaughter in death of Alhambra man

A guitarist who has played with Pearl Jam and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and was involved in fatal collision in Alhambra in March pleaded not guilty Thursday to a vehicular manslaughter charge.

On March 18, the victim, Israel Sanchez, was heading to the grocery store and walking in a protected crosswalk at Main Street and Meridian Avenue when he was struck by an SUV driven by Josh Klinghoffer, officials said. The man fell to the ground and was dragged a few feet until the vehicle came to a stop, according to video footage provided by the family’s attorney.

Sanchez later died in a hospital.

Klinghoffer remained at the scene and was not detained.

Klinghoffer pleaded not guilty on Thursday to a misdemeanor charge of of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence. His attorney did not respond to request for comment Thursday.

A wrongful death lawsuit filed in July by the victim’s family alleges that Klinghoffer was on his phone while driving the SUV, and that he did not not have a license plate on his SUV at the time of the crash.

His attorney in the civil case, Andrew B. Brettler, said in July that after the crash, “Josh immediately pulled over, stopped the vehicle, called 911, and waited until police and the ambulance arrived.”