Three Dead in Phoenix Crash: Esteban Espinoza Lopez, Majid Al Juhaishi, Tessa Jeffrey

A man has been arrested in connection with a crash near Interstate 17 in north Phoenix that resulted in the deaths of three individuals last month. According to the Phoenix Police Department, Angel Lopez Garcia, a 22-year-old resident of Phoenix, was taken into custody on Thursday and is facing multiple charges including murder.

The incident occurred on July 3 at approximately 11 p.m. Investigators revealed that a Camaro, Traverse, and Subaru collided on I-17 near Thunderbird Road. It was determined that Garcia was driving the Camaro at high speed while under the influence of alcohol when he ran a red light at an access intersection and struck the Traverse. The impact caused the Traverse to collide with the stationary Subaru waiting at the red light.

Based on court documents, investigators estimated Garcia's speed to be between 77 and 86 miles per hour at the time of impact. When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered that Garcia's Camaro had caught fire. They were able to rescue his passenger, Esteban Espinoza Lopez (21), from inside but unfortunately he later succumbed to his injuries after being transported to a nearby hospital.

Majid Al Juhaishi (54), who was driving the Traverse during the collision, was found unresponsive inside his vehicle with severe injuries. He too was rushed to a hospital but tragically passed away from his injuries as well. Tessa Jeffrey (41), another passenger in the Traverse who wasn't wearing her seatbelt during this incident according to investigators' findings ,was ejected from her vehicle upon impact and pronounced dead at scene despite efforts by emergency crews.

Two occupants inside the Subaru sustained non-life-threatening injuries and were subsequently treated at a local hospital before being released.

Subsequent blood tests conducted on Garcia revealed that he had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.102, exceeding the legal limit. As a result, he now faces charges of second-degree murder and one count of endangerment.

The investigation into this tragic incident is still ongoing as authorities work to gather all relevant evidence and information.

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