In a press conference held on Wednesday, the police revealed more details about the criminal history of the driver in custody in relation to a deadly crash in South Los Angeles that left three Uber passengers dead and others injured.
The suspect, Gregory Black, 31 years old, is facing three charges of vehicular manslaughter after a two-vehicle collision over the past weekend at the intersection of Vermont Avenue and Century Avenue, as reported by Los Angeles Police Detective Ryan Moreno.
The district attorney's office has also filed special allegations of two or more previous convictions for serious felonies and aggravated circumstances of serious bodily injuries. Black pleaded not guilty at his court appearance in Compton on Tuesday and is scheduled to return to court next week.
Black, a "known member of a local gang," was on probation for five years for attempted murder at the time, according to Moreno. Black's criminal record includes 11 arrests for serious felonies and three convictions, said the detective, adding that he had two criminal "strikes" on his record, including a "super strike."
The shocking crash occurred just before 5:30 a.m. on Saturday when a Mercedes-Benz ran a red light and collided with an Uber vehicle at high speed, causing the second vehicle to flip five times, investigators reported. Three Uber passengers died at the scene of the accident.
They were later identified as sisters Kimberly Izquierdo, 27 years old, and Veronica Amezola, 23 years old. The third deceased victim was Juvelyn Arroyo, 23 years old. The 38-year-old Uber driver and a fourth passenger in that car were taken to the hospital.
Moreno described the accident scene as if "a bomb had exploded" after the collision.
The suspect, Black, was also taken to the hospital in stable condition. He had reached speeds of up to 100 mph in a 35 mph zone before the impact, according to the police.
The police released surveillance footage showing Black driving at nearly 100 mph before running a red light.
A loaded gun was found in the Mercedes, according to the LAPD.
"I promise you that if you do that here and drive at excessive speeds, putting everyone in danger, and you have an accident and hurt someone, you will go to jail," the detective said.
"He's going to jail," Moreno added, referring to Black. "He's not bringing back the victims. Those families are suffering right now. One of the families is preparing for two funerals, for both of their daughters."
The police said that Black was on probation for attempted murder due to his involvement in a case that authorities described as a homicide, but they did not provide additional details about the crime.
A GoFundMe account has been created for the sisters' family.
Originally posted at Abogados de Choques
