18-year-old arrested on intoxication manslaughter charges in fatal Denton crash: police
A man was killed in an early morning crash Saturday on Interstate 35E, and an 18-year-old was arrested for intoxication manslaughter, Denton police said.
An officer attempted to stop a Dodge Charger around 3:15 a.m. when he noticed the vehicle was weaving back and forth on the road and driving without headlights, Denton police said in a press release. Instead of stopping, the Charger’s driver accelerated to more than 100 mph and crashed into the back of a sedan around 30 seconds later.
The impact pushed the sedan off the interstate and flipped the Charger. A 47-year-old in the rear seat of the sedan died from his injuries, officials said. He’s been identified as Douglas Alfredo Gonzalez Cerna of Lewisville, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The driver and front seat passenger were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries and released, according to police.
Authorities identified the driver of the Charger as 18-year-old Jonathan Vargas. Following an on-scene investigation, officers arrested Vargas and booked him into the City of Denton Jail.
The teen faces charges of intoxication manslaughter and evading arrest/detention with vehicle causes serious bodily injury or death, police said. His bond has not been set.
Parts of I-35E near Buc-ee’s Boulevard were closed for several hours during the crash investigation but have since reopened.
