A 29-year-old man suspected of crashing into a compact SUV while driving drunk on Interstate 15 in Corona, killing the driver, was being held without bail Monday.
Jorge Anival Gomez Augustin was arrested Saturday and booked into the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside on suspicion of second-degree murder, driving under the influence resulting in death and DUI resulting in great bodily injury.
According to California Highway Patrol Officer Juan Quintero, about 3 a.m. Saturday, the suspect was driving his Mercedes Benz E-350 northbound on I-15, near Weirick Road, when he allegedly plowed into the rear of a Honda CRV just ahead of him.
“After the initial impact, both vehicles went off of the freeway, down an embankment and across the (Weirick) off-ramp lanes,” Quintero said.
He said the vehicles came to rest near the exit ramp.
The man in the CRV, whose identity has yet to be released, was pronounced dead at the scene by Corona Fire Department paramedics. No one else was in the vehicle.
Augustin was not injured and was given a field sobriety test by CHP officers, who determined that he was allegedly inebriated, according to Quintero.
The suspect was taken into custody without incident and booked into jail a short time later. Background information on him was not available.
Anyone with information was asked to contact the Riverside CHP office at 951-637-8000.