Newly released dashcam video shows an Orange County sheriff’s deputy speeding down a Santa Ana street before his patrol vehicle slammed into a car carrying a young couple out for the evening.
The Dec. 29, 2023, crash seriously injured Megan Doan and Jan Tan, a Garden Grove couple whose attorney described them as high school sweethearts. Nearly three years later, their civil lawsuit against Orange County is headed toward trial.
Deputy Jeremiah Peyus wasn’t pursuing a suspect. His patrol vehicle’s lights and siren were not activated, and his partner testified that the deputies were planning to get something to eat.
Santa Ana police investigated the collision and determined Peyus was at fault, identifying unsafe speed as the primary cause, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Dashcam Shows Patrol Vehicle Traveling 65 MPH Before Crash
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Dashcam footage submitted to Orange County Superior Court shows the patrol vehicle traveling 65 mph along 17th Street and passing other traffic shortly before the collision.
Security video from a nearby Target captured the other side of the crash. Doan and Tan’s vehicle can be seen with its turn signal activated as it makes a left turn toward the store’s parking lot. The patrol vehicle then strikes it.
Court documents cited by NBC Los Angeles say Doan and Tan suffered multiple injuries, including broken bones and permanent nerve damage.
“Due to the negligence of an on-duty deputy, they found themselves spending New Year’s Eve at the hospital with multiple broken bones, surgical procedures,” their attorney, Robert Glassman, told the station. “It’s turned their lives upside down.”
Orange County records independently confirm the pending lawsuit, which names Doan and Tan as plaintiffs and stems from the collision involving the sheriff’s patrol vehicle. County records also show the Board of Supervisors rejected a settlement offer from the plaintiffs in April 2025.
Deputies Were Heading To Get Food, Testimony Says
During his deposition, Peyus confirmed he was not involved in a pursuit and that the patrol vehicle’s emergency lights and siren were not activated.
His partner testified that the deputies were planning to get something to eat.
The crash did not result in a criminal case. The Orange County District Attorney’s Office told NBC Los Angeles that the matter was never submitted to prosecutors because there was no allegation that a crime had been committed.
Peyus was not arrested or charged over the crash and remains employed by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, according to the agency.
Attorneys representing the county declined to comment to NBC Los Angeles because the litigation remains pending.
Viewers React To The Crash
“STILL EMPLOYED! wow,” one commenter wrote, focusing on Peyus’ continued employment.
Another viewer questioned the lack of criminal charges, writing, “Double the speed limit and driving distracted yet no arrest… Wow.” The district attorney’s office said the case was never presented to prosecutors as an alleged crime.
One viewer had a different observation: “Dude was going so fast his hairline went backwards.”
The lawsuit remains pending, and Doan and Tan’s allegations against the county have not been decided at trial.