A 28-year-old Santa Barbara County man has been charged with two counts of murder in connection with an alleged alcohol-related crash that claimed the lives of two young children in San Bernardino County, authorities announced Tuesday.
Sergeant Martin said the fatal crash occurred just after 11 p.m. on Nov. 24 at Walnut and Riverside streets in Rialto. Daniel Smith of the Rialto Police Department.
The girls, ages 3 and 4, were making a left turn onto Walnut with their parents in a white Honda Accord when a blue Dodge Ram pickup truck heading south on Riverside ran a red light and struck the Accord. The car pulled over and crashed into a black tow truck. Smith said.
One of the girls was thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene, Smith said, while the father was hospitalized with moderate injuries. The girls were in their car seats and their mother was not injured.
Family members identified the siblings as Nevea Flores and Alenia Flores.
Police said the driver of the pickup truck, Alexis Jose Garcia of Buellton, fled the scene but was located 400 meters away.
On November 24, 2024, two young children were killed in a crash in Rialto that appeared to be caused by a drunk driver. (KTLA) Alexis Jose Garcia, 28, of Buellton. (Rialto Police Department) Two young children were killed in an apparent drunk driving accident in Rialto on November 24, 2024. (KTLA) Two young children seen in an undated photo were killed in an apparent drunk driving accident in Rialto on November 24, 2024. (Viewer photo) The two young children shown in the undated photo here were killed in what appears to be a drunk driving accident in Rialto on November 11th. 24th, 2024. (Viewer photo)
“This is yet another tragic DUI-related death that was completely preventable and resulted from selfish and reckless behavior,” San Bernardino County District Attorney 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.”
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In addition to the murder charge, Garcia is charged with gross negligence manslaughter, hit-and-run manslaughter, drunk driving causing bodily harm, and driving with a BAC of 0.08% or higher. .
“Our office is also filing multiple special charges of vehicular manslaughter causing serious injury, driving with a BAC greater than 0.15% and fleeing after committing a crime,” prosecutors said in a news release.
Prosecutors filed a motion recommending no bail for the 28-year-old suspect, who remains in custody and is scheduled to appear in court on November 27.
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