A 19-year-old driver who tested positive for both marijuana and alcohol is facing homicide charges after a Sunday morning crash in Mexicali’s Valle de las Misiones neighborhood killed three passengers and left five others seriously injured.
Baja California Attorney General María Elena Andrade confirmed that prosecutors will pursue homicide charges against the young driver given the circumstances of the wreck. The crash occurred during the early hours of Sunday, April 20, though authorities have not released the driver’s name.
Three Dead, Five in Serious Condition
Three passengers in the vehicle died at the scene or shortly after the crash. Five other occupants remain hospitalized in serious condition at a local Mexicali facility. Investigators have not publicly disclosed the identities of any of the victims.
Authorities are working to locate family members of the victims in order to collect statements and build the criminal case. The attorney general’s office has not yet specified the exact charges the driver will face, though Andrade said the impairment and resulting deaths justify a homicide prosecution rather than lesser charges.
Impairment Confirmed by Testing
Post-crash testing confirmed the driver had both alcohol and marijuana in his system at the time of the collision. Under Baja California’s penal code, causing a death while driving under the influence can result in homicide charges carrying significant prison time, rather than the lighter penalties associated with simple traffic offenses.
Valle de las Misiones is a residential development on the southern edge of Mexicali, located along Boulevard Lázaro Cárdenas. The neighborhood sits roughly 15 minutes south of the Calexico border crossing. The area’s wide boulevards can see high-speed driving, particularly during overnight and early morning hours when traffic is light.
A Growing Concern in Mexicali
Fatal crashes involving impaired drivers have been a recurring problem in Mexicali. The city’s flat, grid-like road system and long, straight boulevards can encourage speeding, and enforcement of drunk-driving laws has historically been inconsistent across Baja California municipalities.
With eight total victims, including the three fatalities, this crash ranks among the deadliest single-vehicle incidents in Mexicali in recent memory. The outcome of the five hospitalized passengers could affect the severity of the charges the driver ultimately faces.
The case remains under active investigation by the Baja California Fiscalía General del Estado (FGE), the state attorney general’s office. This story was first reported by The Baja Post.