Rally planned to protest Rocklin PD handling of probe into crash that killed teen
Protesters plan to rally Friday afternoon in Rocklin, calling for justice in the death of Anthony Williams, an 18-year-old Inderkum High School student fatally struck in March by a vehicle that a local advocacy group says was driven by Placer County CEO Todd Leopold.
The planned demonstration will take place at 4 p.m. Lonetree Boulevard near the Blue Oaks Town Center shopping area, where Williams was killed on March 19 and the site of a makeshift memorial.
A flier for the rally referred to it as a “peaceful protest rally,” calling on participants to “raise your voice for justice.”
The Rocklin Police Department in a news release Wednesday said investigators determined the driver, whom the department has not publicly identified, not to be at fault in the deadly collision and said no criminal charges would be requested.
Rocklin police said “given this fact,” only persons connected to the incident may obtain a copy of the accident report under the state vehicle code, barring members of the public from requesting it. A family member of Williams who spoke to The Bee on Wednesday said they would ask the department for a copy of the report.
A community advocacy group calling itself “Justice for Anthony” said last week in a news release that it has been trying to get more information about the incident, but that it had not received any answers from authorities.
The group has said a Facebook post and a waitress who went to Williams’ aid immediately after the collision have identified Leopold, the county CEO, as the driver.
Leopold, who has been Placer County’s chief executive since January 2018, has not publicly addressed the incident.
The Placer County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday addressed the allegation in a written statement, saying it could not “confirm or deny any statements or details related to the incident” because the investigation by Rocklin authorities was not yet complete. The incident did not come up during that day’s board meeting.
The Police Department announced the following day that the investigation had concluded.
Police in previous statements said the 18-year-old crash victim, later identified as Williams, was “walking in the roadway” when he was struck by a vehicle near the shopping center around 8:30 p.m. March 19. Williams later died at a hospital. Police also said the involved driver cooperated with investigators.
The advocacy group has demanded transparency, given that the deadly collision allegedly involved the county’s top executive.
This story was originally published May 13, 2022 at 9:59 AM.
