A suspected drunken driver who was behind the wheel of an SUV that crashed on Independence Day in Azusa, killing two of his children, was ordered Wednesday to remain jailed in lieu of $2 million bail.
Arcadio Varela Caliz, 31, is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 10 in a Pomona courtroom on two counts of murder stemming from the deaths of Andrea Caliz Martinez, who was killed on her 12th birthday, and Christopher Caliz Martinez, 8.
The crash occurred about 7:30 p.m. July 4 at San Gabriel Canyon Road and Mountain Laurel Way. Caliz’s SUV went off the roadway about a half-mile north of the U.S. Forestry information booth, said Azusa police Lt. Paul Dennis.
Officers found the vehicle, which had come to rest on its roof, down a steep ravine, Dennis said.
The children’s mother, Marbella Martinez, 32, and the couple’s 13-year- old daughter survived the crash.
“The subsequent investigation revealed that both alcohol and speed contributed to this fatality,” Dennis alleged.
Caliz was arrested Tuesday at the Azusa police station.
— Wire reports