Driver Suspected Of Vehicular Manslaughter After Car Slams Into Tree, Killing Passenger

By Times of San Diego Staff:

A driver was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and DUI Sunday after crashing a vehicle into a tree in Oceanside, killing one of his two passengers, police said.

Police said that they suspect alcohol and speeding to be factors in the accident, involving a 2003 Nissan Maxima traveling eastbound on state Route 76 at Airport Road.

At 1:54 a.m. the driver lost control of the car and crashed into a tree on the south shoulder of the roadway, according to the Oceanside Police Department.

The driver was identified as Guillermo Sanchez Pacheco, 29. He was briefly hospitalized for minor injuries and then arrested.

A rear passenger, a 30-year-old man who has not yet been identified, died in the accident. The front-seat passenger, who also was not identified, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

– City News Service

Times of San Diego is an independent online news site covering the San Diego metropolitan area. Our journalists report on politics, crime, business, sports, education, arts, the military and everyday life in San Diego. No subscription is required, and you can sign up for a free daily newsletter with a summary of the latest news.