Arrest made in connection with violent crash that killed 8-year-old Riverside boy
Authorities have arrested a months after he struck a car, killing an 8-year-old boy and leaving three other family members injured in Riverside last year.
The crash happened back on May 16, 2023 at around 7:30 a.m. near the intersection of Arlington Avenue and Stover Avenue, when the driver veered into opposing lanes of traffic while speeding down Arlington, according to the Riverside Police Department.
Investigators say that the driver, identified now was 23-year-old Riverside resident Andres Laris, collided head-on with another car heading in the opposite direction.
Read more: Riverside residents plead for more safety measures after crash kills 8-year-old
The impact of the collision sent all four occupants of the car to the hospital, where 8-year-old Obed Barbosa-Carbajal later died. His siblings, a 16-year-old brother, 10-year-old sister and 25-year-old sister who was driving them to school, suffered serious injuries.
"Investigators determined Mr. Laris was driving more than 100 mph when he collided into the Nissan. His toxicology detected cannabis in his blood system as well," police said in a statement.
Laris was taken into custody after months of investigation on Thursday, police continued. He was previously hospitalized after suffering injuries during the crash.
Because of his "reckless actions" that caused the crash, investigators recommended that criminal charges be filed, which the Riverside County District Attorney's Office approved.
Laris was booked on one felony count of murder for causing Barbosa-Carbajal's death, as well as three felony counts of driving across a divided highway resulting in great bodily injury, police said. He is being held in lieu of $1 million bail.
The Riverside County District Attorney's Office approved one felony count of murder for causing the death of the 8-year-old victim, along with 3 felony counts of driving across a divided highway resulting in great bodily injury to the surviving siblings. Mr. Laris is currently being held in custody on one million dollars bail.