Posted on 09/16/2010 2:18:24 PM PDT by lightman
Police say that just prior to Sunday's fatal crash in West Manheim Township, the driver of an SUV tried to pull his girlfriend out of another vehicle as they were side-by-side on the Baltimore Pike.
West Manheim Police charged the driver, 18-year-old Francisco Javier Santos -- who they said is an illegal immigrant -- with homicide by vehicle while DUI in connection with the deaths of two of his passengers.
Rafael Garcia, 22, and German Lopez, 24, died in the crash. Both men were believed to be migrant workers in Adams County, according to the York County Coroner's office. Santos and a third passenger, Jose Luis Aguilar Castillo, 22, were injured, police said.
The one-vehicle crash occurred at 1:25 a.m. near Shaffer Circle, when a northbound 1999 Lincoln Navigator, driven by Santos, went off the west side of the road and rolled several times, ejecting all four occupants, said West Manheim Township Police Chief Tim Hippensteel.
Investigators learned that shortly before the crash, Santos, Garcia, Lopez and Castillo left a Hampstead, Md., bar traveling north on Maryland Route 30, in Santos' Navigator.
Investigators determined that after leaving the bar, Santos and the occupants of a Ford Explorer, which included his girlfriend, continued a dispute that had started earlier at the bar, tailgating and illegally passing each other on Route 30.
On Route 30 near Ebbvale Road, Santos, while driving, attempted to pull his girlfriend through the passenger window of the Ford as the vehicles were side by side, police said.
The vehicles lightly collided, and the dispute ended when the Ford turned off as the Navigator continued on at a high rate of speed, police said.
A few minutes later, just as the Navigator had crossed into Pennsylvania, Santos lost control of his vehicle, which slid sideways across the road and struck a street sign and curb, police said. His vehicle rolled several times across a lawn onto Shaffer Circle, ejecting all four unbelted occupants, police said.
Santos was taken by helicopter to York Hospital, where his blood was drawn. Using a search warrant, police obtained the results of the test, which indicated Santos' blood-alcohol level was at .228 percent, more than twice the state's legal limit of 0.08 percent.
Santos was arrested Tuesday at York Hospital. he was arraigned by District Justice James Miner at Central Booking and placed in York County Prison on $500,000 bail.
Charges filed
The charges against Francisco Javier Santos, 18, who police say is an illegal immigrant:
--- Two counts of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence.
--- Three counts of accidents involving death or injury while not properly licensed.
--- Driving under the influence.
--- Recklessly endangering another person.
--- Driving without a license, reckless driving, careless driving resulting in death.
Helping out
Agencies assisting West Manheim Township Police:
--- Pennsylvania State Police Crash Reconstruction Team
--- Penn Township Police
--- Hanover Borough Police
--- York City Police
--- West York Borough Police
--- York County detectives
--- York County DA's Office
--- York County Sheriff's Department
--- York County Coroner's Office
--- U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement
--- Mexican Consulate in Philadelphia.
The Topix comments (link from the article on ydr.com) show that the locals are really fired up about this!
PIng.
ping
How many beer bottles were found at the scene?
How do you say "hold my beer" in Spanish?
(Sniff) don't it make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
< /SARC> (maybe)
Sounds like a fun night.
Can we PLEASE deport all of these people now?
Surely the police did not racially profile the illegal immigrant..to find that he was illegally in the country, and the migrant workers, they were what? just doing the work Americans would not do..
Guess who is picking up the tab?
I was airlifted into Boston last year after a dirt bike accident.
Cost of chopper ride? 6,800 bucks.
Ping!
Can you imagine waking up to the sound of a Lincoln Navigator rolling over on your lawn and finding scattered mexicans in various states of life and death?
Let's give these people citizenship.
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