A 19-year-old driver who crashed his sedan in Moreno Valley, killing a passenger, while allegedly fleeing from California Highway Patrol officers because he was drunk, was out of custody Friday.
Steven Israel Corona of Moreno Valley was arrested Thursday following the predawn chase that fatally injured 19-year-old Villalon Ramirez, also of Moreno Valley.
Corona was booked into the Robert Presley Jail on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence resulting in injuries and felony evading with great bodily injury.
He posted a $250,000 bond and was released from the downtown Riverside jail Thursday afternoon.
The pursuit began just after 1 a.m. at Perris and Sunnymead boulevards, according to CHP Officer Javier Navarro.
He said a patrol unit observing the intersection spotted Corona’s Kia K900 going southbound on Perris without its headlights on, shooting through a steady red traffic signal.
The officers initiated a traffic enforcement stop, but the driver did not slow down, instead accelerating to 90 mph and “driving in a reckless manner through various streets,” Navarro said.
While racing down the 25000 block of Gentian Avenue, headed east, Corona “lost control and collided with two parked vehicles,” according to the CHP spokesman.
“As a result of the crash, the three passengers in the Kia became trapped, requiring extrication,” he said. “The driver was quickly apprehended by personnel.”
Riverside County Fire Department paramedics provided treatment at the scene, and the passengers were taken to Riverside University Medical Center with major injuries. Ramirez, who had been in the front passenger seat, died at the hospital an hour later.
The other parties were expected to recover.
Corona was checked at the medical center and was determined to be uninjured, after which he was booked into jail.
Officers determined during the check that the suspect was allegedly alcohol-impaired, according to Navarro.
Background on Corona was unavailable.