Teen driver on wrong side of road kills North Texas cyclist while on video call: police
An 18-year-old man was arrested this week in connection with the death of a cyclist in a wrong-way crash in Wise County, according to an affidavit the Star-Telegram obtained from Decatur police.
The suspect, Quinten William Crawford, struck and killed the bicyclist, 72-year-old Raudel Perez, in the 1700 block of Cemetery Road on Aug. 14, according to the affidavit.
Crawford was on a video call and driving a Ford F-250 pickup truck on the wrong side of the road at the time of the crash, police said.
The woman who Crawford had been speaking to at the time told detectives Crawford ended a Snapchat call with her after stating, “Oh my God, I just hit someone,” according to the affidavit.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for Crawford’s Snapchat account and confirmed the call had taken place at the time of the fatal crash, Decatur police said.
Crawford told police he attempted to swerve to avoid Perez, but failed, police said.
Perez’s family described him as a devout Christian and a loving grandfather to nine grandchildren, according to an online obituary.
Crawford faces a charge of criminally negligent homicide. He was released from the Wise County Jail on Wednesday, Dec. 4, after posting a $10,000 bond, according to online jail records.
