21-Year-Old Man's Crash Death Leads To DUI Arrest In Coachella

COACHELLA, CA — A 38-year-old man was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence and causing a traffic collision that left one man dead and another person seriously injured, authorities said Wednesday.

Antonio Tellez Leon of Coachella was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of murder, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended driver's license, violation of probation and driving under the influence causing injury, according to Sgt. Tom Anderson of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

Anderson said deputies from the Thermal sheriff's station responded at around 8:15 p.m. Tuesday to the intersection of Avenue 51 and Chiapas Street to a report of a major injury traffic collision.

The collision was between a gray BMW, allegedly occupied by Tellez, and a Blue Toyota Camry occupied by two unidentified people, Sgt. Wendy Brito-Gonzalez of the sheriff's department told City News Service.

"Upon their arrival, deputies found two occupants of one vehicle with major injures and began life saving measures; the driver of the second vehicle was uninjured," Anderson wrote in a statement. "One of the injured parties succumbed to his injuries at the scene and the other was transported to a local hospital for additional medical treatment."

The decedent was identified by the Riverside County coroner's office as 21-year-old Jacob Snellings of Coachella.

Tellez allegedly showed signs of impairment and was subsequently arrested, according to Anderson. He was booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio, where he remains held on $1 million bail, according to inmate records.

Avenue 51 was shut down between Frederick Street and Van Buren Street as the collision investigation was conducted, Anderson said. The road later reopened to traffic.

Anyone with additional information on the fatal collision was asked to call Deputy Esteban Molina of the Thermal sheriff's station at 760-863-8990 or Valley Crime Stoppers anonymously at 800-782-7463.