Driver who hit Fort Worth bus in San Antonio was going 100 mph, police say
San Antonio police have arrested a 19-year-old man accused of crashing a stolen Camaro into a transport bus from Fort Worth on July 17, killing five people.
Ethan Michael Gonzales was driving over 100 miles per hour and had been seen swerving in and out of traffic shortly before the accident on Interstate 35 in San Antonio, police said at a news conference Wednesday. He faces multiple charges, including five counts of manslaughter and five counts of hit-and-run death.
The Camaro had been stolen from a northeast Bexar County home on July 14, according to surveillance video obtained by KENS-TV. Three days later, the speeding car hit the trailer attached to a bus operated by the Fort Worth transportation company Transportes Guerra. The bus driver lost control and ended up in the path of an 18-wheeler.
The semi struck the bus, which rolled over on the right side. Two bus passengers died at the scene of the crash. Three others, including Transportes Guerra owner Jose “Tito” Guerra, died a short time later at the hospital. At least 15 more people were injured.
The Camaro’s driver and three passengers were seen running from the area, according to police.
DNA evidence linked Gonzales to the Camaro and cell phone records placed him at the scene of the crash, San Antonio police spokesperson Emily Garvin said at the news conference. Authorities believe he was the driver.
Police identified the Camaro’s passengers as Matthew Andres Espinoza, Eric Rene Perez and John Michael Sanchez, according to KENS reporting. The three were arrested at an earlier date and face charges related to the theft of the car. Gonzales is the only suspect being charged with manslaughter.
Garvin said detectives have worked tirelessly to bring justice to the victims’ families.
“This is also a huge reminder that speeding can cause serious bodily injury to people and even death,” she said.
