A man accused of killing a woman and seriously injuring her passenger while driving under the influence of alcohol in French Valley was charged Wednesday with second-degree murder and felony DUI.
Elvis Eugene Tate, 59, of Winchester was arrested Sunday after the crash that killed 27-year-old Ashley Alcarez, also of Winchester.
He’s being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside and is slated to make his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon at the Southwest Justice Center in Murrieta.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Tate was at the wheel of a 2003 Mitsubishi Galant going north on Winchester Road at roughly 50 mph when he failed to stop for a red light at Benton Road about 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
Officer Mike Lassig said that as the defendant approached Benton, the victim initiated a left turn in her 2016 Honda Civic from the westbound lane, intending to head south on Winchester. She was turning on a green light, Lassig said.
“(Tate) failed to stop for the red traffic signal … and the front of his vehicle collided with the (driver’s side) door of the victim’s vehicle, killing her instantly and inflicting major injuries on her passenger,” the officer said. “After the initial collision, the vehicles continued out of control and struck two additional vehicles that were stopped in the southbound lanes of Winchester.”
Riverside County Fire Department paramedics pronounced Alcarez dead at the scene.
Her front-seat passenger, 28-year-old Anthony Lewis of Winchester, was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar for treatment. He is recovering from his injuries.
According to Lassig, the occupants of the two stopped vehicles that were struck received attention from paramedics but declined to be taken to the hospital for further examination.
Tate was transported to Inland Valley Medical Center and treated for moderate injuries, after which he was booked into jail.
He has no documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.