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Uber victims killed in SLA crash identified
Three women — 23-year-old Juvelyn Arroyo, 23-year-old Veronica Amezola, and 27-year-old Kimberly Izquierdo — were killed after the Uber they were riding in was t-boned in South Los Angeles, by a driver police said was speeding and ran a red light.
LOS ANGELES - Three women were killed Saturday morning after an Uber was t-boned at a South Los Angeles intersection near the Westmont community of unincorporated Los Angeles County, according to officials. Two others in the Uber were injured in the crash.
The crash happened just before 5:30 a.m. at the intersection of South Vermont Avenue and West Century Boulevard, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Officials said the Uber, a black Honda, was heading north on Vermont, when a white Mercedes heading west on Century ran the red light and plowed into the Honda.
Authorities said there were five people in the Uber, including the driver. Three passengers in the back seat, all women, were killed in the crash. They have been identified as 23-year-old Juvelyn Arroyo, 23-year-old Veronica Amezola, and 27-year-old Kimberly Izquierdo. Amezola and Izquierdo were sisters.
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Sisters, best friend killed in Uber crash
Sisters Veronica Amezola and Kimberly Izquierdo were killed along with their childhood best friend Juvelyn Arroyo when the Uber they were in was t-boned by a car that ran a red light. The brother of two of the women called them "soul mates."
The suspect was identified as 31-year-old Gregory Black and officials said he is expected to face criminal charges.
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Suspect arrested in fatal Uber crash that killed 3 passengers
Another passenger, a man sitting in the front seat, was hospitalized and is in stable condition.
The Uber driver, a woman, was also sent to the hospital and is in critical condition.
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Police told FOX 11's Gigi Graciette that there was one man in the Mercedes, and that the car was traveling at about 85 mph at the time of the crash.
"He [passed] the vehicles that were stopped at the red light, doing the right thing. He passes on the left side of them, into the turn lanes and goes around them and strikes the victims," said LAPD Det. Ryan Moreno. "And you're talking about going 85, 90 mph at least."
The impact of the crash was so violent, police said, that one of the women in the back seat of the Uber was ejected from the car.
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3 Uber passengers killed in South LA crash
"It's just frustrating," said Sgt. Clarence Perkins. "Because just think about if you just drive the speed limit, slow down, obey the laws of the land, this wouldn't happen. This is actually preventable."
The LAPD announced Sunday that Black had been arrested and would be facing vehicular manslaughter charges for his alleged role in the crash.
LAPD detectives are still investigating what happened before the early morning crash, including the possibility that the driver of the Mercedes was fleeing another crime scene.
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GoFundMe pages have been set up for the three victims.
Izquierdo and Amezola's GoFundMe can be found here, and Arroyo's can be found by clicking here.
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There was no other information available.
City News Service contributed to this report.