The driver reached speeds of up to 100 mph and ran a red light before the collision, the LAPD said.
Wednesday, August 30, 2023 7:29PM
SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) — Police on Wednesday revealed more details about the criminal history of the driver in custody in connection with a South Los Angeles crash that left three Uber passengers dead and others injured.
The suspect, 31-year-old Gregory Black, is facing three counts of vehicular manslaughter after this past weekend’s two-car crash at the intersection of Vermont Avenue and Century Boulevard, a Los Angeles Police Detective Ryan Moreno said at a news conference.
Black, a “well-known local gang member,” at the time of the collision was on probation in connection with a murder case, Moreno said. Black’s “checkered past” includes 11 felony bookings and three convictions, the detective said, adding that he had two criminal “strikes” against him, including a “super strike.”
The violent crash occurred shortly before 5:30 a.m. Sunday when a Mercedes-Benz ran through a red light and slammed into an Uber vehicle at a high rate of speed, investigators said. Three passengers in the Uber were pronounced dead at the scene.
They were later identified as sisters Kimberly Izquierdo, 27, and 23-year-old Veronica Amezola. The third deceased victim was Juvelyn Arroyo, 23. The Uber driver, a 38-year-old woman, and a fourth passenger in that car were taken to the hospital.
The suspect, Black, was also taken to the hospital in stable condition. He had reached speeds of up to 100 mph in a 35-mph zone before the impact, police said.
Moreno said the crash site “looked like a bomb went off” in the aftermath of the collision.
A GoFundMe account has been set up for the family of the sisters.
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