A two-vehicle crash on Tuesday evening claimed the life of a 21-year-old woman, injured another woman and resulted in the arrest of the 17-year-old boy believed to be responsible for the collision.
Shortly before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, a Las Cruces police officer rolled up to a crash between a 2013 Hyundai Sonata and a 2006 Dodge Ram at the intersection of Lohman Avenue and Espina Street.
The two occupants of the sedan were injured and required immediate attention. Las Cruces firefighters initiated emergency care on both women.
The passenger of the Hyundai, 21-year-old Amanda Jean Murillo Gallegos, was transported to Mountainview Regional Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 27-year-old woman, was initially transported to Memorial Medical Center and then to University Medical Center of El Paso. Her injuries, although serious, do not appear to be life-threatening.
Traffic investigators learned that a 17-year-old boy was driving the Dodge Ram east on Lohman Avenue at a high rate of speed. He indicated to police that he was racing an unknown vehicle eastbound on Lohman. At the intersection of Espina Street, he ran a red light and crashed broadside into the Hyundai that was traveling south on Espina.
The 17-year-old driver left the scene on foot but turned himself in to police a short time after the crash.
The 17-year-old was charged with vehicular homicide, two counts of knowingly leaving the scene of a crash that caused great bodily harm or death, racing on streets and for the red-light violation. He was arrested and booked into the juvenile section of the Dona Ana County Detention Center.
Portions of Lohman Avenue and Espina Street were closed for several hours while police investigated the crash.