November 9 – A 19-year-old allegedly told police he was late for work and tried to ignore a red light when he crashed his car into a motorized scooter rider at a speed of more than 80 miles per hour last week – which killed the man. in Northeast Albuquerque.
Eliazar Torres was charged Friday with vehicular homicide and reckless driving in the death of Christopher Sanford on Wednesday. Torres was booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center.
Albuquerque police say Torres was stopped days earlier by New Mexico State Police for going 120 miles per hour in a 75 mile per hour zone.
No charge or citation for that incident could be found in online court filings, and a state police spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about the matter.
Prosecutors filed a motion to hold Torres until trial, calling him “dangerous behind the wheel.”
“(Torres) admitted that he was late for work. So he put other motorists in extreme danger so he could get to work on time,” the motion said.
Albuquerque police responded to a crash around 6 a.m. in San Mateo NE, just north of Candelaria, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. Officers found Sanford injured in the street and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police said witnesses told them a driver in an Infiniti was heading north on San Mateo, ran a red light at Candelaria and struck the Vespa Primavera scooter. Torres remained at the scene and, according to witnesses, said after the crash, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see him.”
Torres told police he was “late” for work and was driving about 50 miles per hour when he crossed the intersection, the complaint said. Torres insisted that the light was yellow when he drove through.
Police said detectives determined through video from a nearby camera that the light was “solid red” as Torres crossed the intersection. Video showed the crash and “a trail of sparks” as Torres’ car towed the scooter.
Torres’ car’s computer showed he was traveling at 60 mph five seconds before the crash and accelerated to 85 mph less than two seconds before impact, the complaint said. Police said the computer showed Torres tried to turn at the last minute to avoid the moped.
Detectives checked Torres’ Motor Vehicle Division records and discovered he was stopped by state police on Oct. 31 for going 120 miles per hour in a 75 mile per hour zone. It is unclear where the traffic stop occurred and there are no other details as there is no citation or charge resulting from the incident in the court documents.
