Two girls were killed in a traffic accident on Sunday, November 24, and their families and friends grieved for them as the motorist who Rialto police said caused their deaths sat in jail on murder charges.
The girls were recognized by their first names, Neveah and Alinah, according to information verified by Rialto police in a GoFundMe request. One was four years old, while the other was three. At a memorial service on Monday night, locals left teddy animals, candles, balloons, and flowers.
According to Rialto police spokesperson Officer Rusty Lamm, the girls were killed after the drunk driver of a pickup ran a red light and broadsided the vehicle they were in.
Around 11 p.m., their mother, Valencia Avilez, 24, of Rialto, was traveling north on Riverside Avenue in a Honda Accord, according to Lamm. She tried to turn left on a green arrow into Walnut Avenue, according to the preliminary findings of the investigation, which is still ongoing, Lamm said.
According to Lamm, Alexis Jose Garcia, 28, of San Bernardino, was driving a Dodge Ram when it ran a red light while speeding, broadside the vehicle near the rear seat.
The Honda struck a tow truck after the force forced it into eastbound traffic on Walnut.
At the scene, the girls were declared dead. After being admitted to the hospital, their parents were supposed to get better.
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According to Lamm, the vehicle had child safety seats. When Garcia’s automobile broke down a quarter of a mile away, he was arrested while intoxicated, according to Lamm.
Garcia was arrested on accusations of murder, DUI causing injury, and hit-and-run causing injury at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga. He had no chance of being released on bond.
Anyone with information on the crash is asked by police to contact Sgt. Dan Smith at 909-644-6025 or submit an anonymous tip using WeTip at 800-782-7463 or at wetip.com, citing case number 932413118.
