Suspect in Los Angeles crash that killed three women, a gang member on probation in a murder case: police
Los Angeles Police Department investigators said Wednesday that a suspected speeding motorist who crashed into an Uber vehicle over the weekend, killing two sisters and their friend, is a gang member with a strong criminal history and is linked to a parole homicide be.
Gregory Black, 31, is charged with three counts of aggravated manslaughter in the deaths of Juvelyn Arroyo and Veronica Amezola, both 23, and 27-year-old Kimberly Izquierdo. Amezola and Izquierdo were sisters and Arroyo was a friend.
Los Angeles Police Department said Black speeded in a white Mercedes-Benz early Saturday morning and ran several red lights before boarding the Uber at the intersection of Century Boulevard and Vermont Avenue. Investigators said Black was traveling at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour within a 35-mile zone.
Arroyo, Amezola and Izquierdo were in the back seat of the Uber sedan and died at the scene.
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A black sedan being operated by an Uber driver was hit by a speeding driver in Los Angeles on Saturday, killing three of the Uber passengers inside, police said. (FOX 11)
“When you look at these videos, it’s obvious that this is homicide through and through,” LAPD Det. Ryan Moreno told reporters. “It looked like a bomb went off,” he said of the crash site.
The impact was so severe that the Uber made five turns before stopping at a curb, authorities said. A passenger in the vehicle and the driver were injured and are recovering, the LAPD said. Black was hospitalized with a broken left ankle and other minor injuries.
“He has quite a colorful past,” Moreno said of Black’s criminal history.
Black was convicted of three counts of one felony and was on probation on one count of murder at the time of the clash, Moreno said. Investigators also found a loaded firearm in the vehicle he was driving, according to police.
“Mr. Black is going to jail,” Moreno said. “He has an extensive criminal history. I’m 100% convinced he’s going to jail. This man should never come out and see the light of day.”
A white Mercedes involved in the fatal accident in Los Angeles was allegedly driven by Gregory Black, 31, a known gang member who was traveling at high speed and running red lights, the LAPD said. (FOX 11)
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Family members of the young women said they were on their way home from a concert when the clash occurred. FOX Los Angeles reported. Black faces a life sentence for each charge.
Authorities are still trying to determine if alcohol or drugs played a role in the collision.
“It’s almost worse that there is no alcohol or DUI,” Moreno said. “Are you actually sober and are you actually driving that sober? Who can get past the fountain, go 100 miles an hour and run through red lights?”
According to prison records, Black is being held in the Los Angeles County Jail on $4 million bail. He is scheduled to appear in court on September 5.
LAPD officers at the scene of a fatal crash that killed three women in an Uber vehicle. (FOX 11)
On the same night of the fatal Uber collision, a 17-year-old was killed by a driver who ran a red light at high speed, the LAPD said. Moreno noted that he often sees people racing and speeding on the streets of Los Angeles.
“Speed kills people in this city… the number of collisions we have daily due to speed is out of control – something needs to be done,” he added.