Family of Sun Valley teen allegedly killed by soccer coach seek damages from city, county

LOS ANGELES — The family of a 13-year-old Sun Valley boy who was sexually abused and killed, allegedly by a youth soccer coach, announced the filing of damages claims Monday against the city and county of Los Angeles.

Attorneys for the family of Oscar “Omar” Hernandez claim the city and county failed to conduct background checks on the suspect, Mario Edgardo Garcia-Aquino before allowing him to work as a coach with access to young boys.

Garcia-Aquino was charged in April with murder in connection with the death of the boy, whose body was found by the side of a road in Oxnard. Authorities say the teen traveled March 28 to Lancaster to see his soccer coach and was never seen again. He was reported missing March 30, and his body was found just days later.

The murder charge includes the special circumstance allegation of murder during the commission or attempted commission of a lewd act with a child.

Garcia-Aquino was also charged with one count each of assault with the intent to commit a sexual offense and lewd act on a child 14 or 15 years old. Those charges involve a different teenage boy who was allegedly sexually assaulted Dec. 10, 2022, at a home in Sylmar where the defendant was living at the time, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

Garcia-Aquino was charged previously in a separate case with a felony count of assault with the intent to commit a lewd act involving a 16-year-old boy in Palmdale on Feb. 22, 2024.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said in April that Garcia-Aquino was a youth travel soccer coach with the Hurricane Valley Boys Soccer Club, working with different age divisions in the Sylmar area, and had no reported criminal history.

At a news conference Monday, attorney Luis Carrillo said there had been three allegations of criminal wrongdoing by the coach, “but he was never arrested.”

Attorney Michael Carrillo added, “This family trusted that this coach, that these parks, that this community would take care of them and take care of their child.”

The attorneys contend that neither the city nor county conducted any background checks on Garcia-Aquino, leading him to groom, sexually abuse then murder Oscar.

The legal claims seek unspecified damages. If the city and county do not respond to the claims, the family can proceed with a lawsuit.