A driver accused of drunkenly speeding through a red light in Rialto, causing a three-car crash that killed two girls, has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including vehicular manslaughter.
Alexis Garcia, 28, made her first court appearance Friday on charges filed by the San Bernardino County district attorney. The charges included two counts of murder, two counts of causing death by negligent driving, one count of causing injury by driving under the influence of alcohol, one count of causing injury by driving with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or more, and one count of causing a serious injury. And run.
“Another tragic drunk driving-related death that was completely preventable and resulted from selfish and reckless behavior,” Dist said. Atty. Jason Anderson said in a statement. “These two girls should be writing letters to Santa, but instead their families are taking on the unthinkable task of writing eulogies.”
Outside the Rancho Cucamonga courtroom, the toddler’s grandmother, Lisa Aviles, told NBC4 that her family was “upset that a drunk driver took them away.”
“I have no words,” Aviles said. “We all want justice, but it won’t bring our baby back.”
On December 3, 2024, a ghost tire is left at the memorial established by the Rialto community for sisters Alina and Neveah Flores.
(Damian Levitt)
Police said on Nov. 24, Garcia was driving a blue Dodge Ram pickup truck at Riverside and Walnut streets when he ran a red light and sped away, causing a white Honda with four people inside him to crash. – Collided with an Accord and collided with a tow truck.
Police said security cameras at the Riverside Avenue home captured Garcia fleeing the scene in a pickup truck, with sparks flying from the vehicle.
Two of the Accord’s four occupants, 3-year-old Alina and 4-year-old Nevea Flores, who were seated in the car, were ejected from the vehicle and were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
The other two were her mother, Valencia Aviles, 24, and her father, Marky Flores, 25, according to the family’s GoFundMe account. She was not injured, but needed treatment for a fractured femur.
Rialto police spokesman Rusty Lamb said officers later found the Dodge Ram and Garcia 400 meters from the accident scene, where the truck appeared to be disabled.
Prosecutor Jamie Cimino said Garcia tried to flee the disabled vehicle, but “a good Samaritan kept him there” and called police.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Garcia’s blood alcohol level at the time of his arrest was 0.18 percent, more than twice the legal limit for driving.
The sidewalk adjacent to the intersection is a memorial to the sisters with pink and white teddy bears, flowers, candles and balloons. In front of the offering are two white tires with the names Alina and Nevea engraved on them. These are leftovers from a candlelight vigil held Saturday by Streets Are for Everyone, an advocacy group aiming to reduce traffic fatalities.
About 30 people associated with the sisters attended the event, along with 75 Rialto area residents, including police officers and the girls’ mail carriers, said Damian Kevitt, the nonprofit’s founder.
Aviles and Flores did not speak at the vigil or say much to the community other than to thank people for their condolences, Kevitt said. “I could tell they were still very shocked,” Kevitt said.
Citing data from the Traffic Injury Mapping System, Kevitt said from 2014 to 2023, there were 32 crashes at the intersection of Riverside and Walnut streets, resulting in one pedestrian death.
Garcia is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 10.
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