UPDATE: 2 Dead, 2 Critical And Driver Arrested After Head-On Crash On Watt Avenue
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Two people are dead and a driver is under arrest after a head-on crash on Watt Avenue early Thursday morning.
The California Highway Patrol says a driver of a Mercedes, 26-year-old Raman Deep Gill, was heading north on south Watt Avenue just south of Elder Creek Road when he drifted into the other lanes just before 1 a.m.
A Toyota Corolla heading south was hit head-on, trapping all four people inside.
A man and a woman in the Toyota were killed. Another man and woman in the Toyota were taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The suspected drunk driver's parents showed up the crash scene, wanting to see the spot for themselves, devastated, and they're not the only ones.
"I'm very, very sad, and you know I can't face this, so that's just why we're coming," Gill's mother said.
Neighbors witnessed the aftermath of the crash.
"I just fell asleep and I heard it," one neighbor said. "I didn't hear no squealing or nothing."
Officers say around 1 on Thursday morning on S. Watt Avenue, Raman Deep Gill drove a black Mercedes into oncoming traffic, mangling a Toyota Corolla.
"Mr. Gill appeared to be distracted," CHP Officer Michael Bradley said.
Two people in the Toyota were killed and another two were rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Officers say Gill, who suffered only an ankle injury, was drunk at the time of the crash.
"This is not an accident," Bradley said. "This is a deliberate act by Mr. Gill by consuming alcoholic beverages."
CBS13 has learned that Gill, an Elk Grove-based real estate agent, was charged with drunk driving just a year ago but would plead no contest to a lesser charge. Still, he was serving a three-year probation term.
Gill's mother calls him a good person who was trying to find his way.
"We are very, very sorry for the family of the other side, and we have no words, you know, sorry for the loss," she said.
Gill was booked into the Sacramento County Jail on two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and drunk driving. His bail was set at $750,000.
