Concord Police Recommend Charges For Teen Driver In Fatal Bike Crash
CONCORD (CBS SF) -- Two months after a fatal crash that killed a Concord man and his 9-year-old daughter on a bike ride, police are recommending that the teenage driver suspected of causing the collision be charged with vehicular manslaughter, a police lieutenant said Thursday.
Contra Costa County deputy district attorneys met with police investigators Thursday and are now reviewing a vehicular manslaughter case that is "several inches thick" to determine how to charge the Concord teen, police Lt. Bill Roche said.
The district attorney's office and police declined to discuss the details of the case.
However, Roche said that attorneys will review results of a two-month-long investigation that examined physical evidence from the crash, a review of witness statements and a mechanical review of the suspect's car.
Detectives also investigated whether the teen took part in distracted driving behaviors such as checking his cellphone at the time of the crash, or if he was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the lieutenant said.
Authorities said the teen was speeding west on Treat Boulevard around 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 7, when he lost control of his SUV and hit 41-year-old Solaiman Nuri and his two daughters as they rode their bicycles.
Nuri died at the scene, and his 9-year-old daughter Hadessa Nuri was taken to John Muir Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries. Nuri's 12-year-old daughter suffered minor injuries in the crash and survived.
The local Afghan community, in which Nuri had actively participated as a soccer coach for Afghan youth, mourned the father and daughter's death at a series of memorial services days after the crash.
The 17-year-old suspect—whose name has not been released since he is a juvenile—was treated for minor injuries and arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter. He was taken to Juvenile Hall in Martinez and released three days later, according to police.
Roche said he does not know whether the teen will be tried as an adult in this case, nor when charges will be filed.
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