Brandy may be charged in vehicle death

The California Highway Patrol recommended Monday that actress-singer Brandy be charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in a freeway crash that killed a woman motorist last month, a city attorney's spokesman said.

The CHP referred the matter to the city attorney's office for review, said spokesman Nick Velasquez.

"The office is currently reviewing the case and determining whether the evidence warrants the filing of a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter," Velasquez said.

A message seeking comment from Brandy's publicist, Courtney Barnes, was not immediately returned.

Brandy, whose real name is Brandy Norwood, has publicly expressed condolences to the victim's family, Barnes said last week. Barnes also has said Brandy wasn't under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.

Brandy, 27, was driving a Land Rover on Interstate 405 on Dec. 30 when traffic slowed and her vehicle struck the back of Honda driven by Awatef Aboudihaj, 38, according to a CHP report.

Aboudihaj's car hit another vehicle, slid sideways into the center divider and was then hig by another car, the report said. Aboudihaj died at a hospital from blunt-force injuries, according to the coroner's office.