SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police have arrested the driver of a stolen Chevrolet Camaro who is accused of causing a crash on Interstate 35 on the Southwest Side and killing five people in July.
Ethan Gonzales, 19, was charged with five counts of manslaughter and five counts of hit and run resulting in death, SAPD public information officer Emily Garvin said on Wednesday.
Garvin said “dozens” of felony charges are pending.
On July 17, the stolen Camaro attempted to weave between a small bus hauling a trailer and an 18-wheeler on southbound I-35 near Cassin Road, according to a crash report obtained by KSAT.
>> Stolen Camaro attempted to weave between truck and bus in deadly I-35 crash, investigator says
Garvin said Gonzales was driving the Camaro at speeds up to 105 miles per hour.
The Camaro collided with the bus, which then struck a guardrail and was hit by an 18-wheeler, an SAPD preliminary report stated. The collision caused the bus to roll on its passenger side, ejecting multiple people.
Two people died at the scene, and three people were taken to the hospital, where they were pronounced dead. Fifteen people were injured, Garvin said.
Four people were seen fleeing the Camaro after the crash, Garvin said.
Garvin said DNA and surveillance video connected Gonzales to the Camaro. Cell phone records also pinged Gonzales at the crash.
He was arrested on Wednesday at his home in San Antonio.
Garvin said the three other suspects were arrested on charges of unauthorized use of a vehicle and burglary of a vehicle.
Police identified them as Matthew Andres Espinoza, Eric Rene Perez and John Michael Sanchez.
Matthew Andres Espinoza, Eric Rene Perez and John Michael Sanchez (left to right). (KSAT)
Perez and Espinoza were arrested in August in connection with the theft of the Camaro. They were charged with burglary of vehicles, a misdemeanor criminal offense, according to the arrest warrants.
>> 2 men charged with theft of stolen Camaro linked to deadly I-35 crash, records show
Perez also faced an additional charge of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, a state-jail felony, while Espinoza is also charged with failure to identify himself, records show.
Surveillance video from July 15 captured Perez and Espinoza driving the stolen Camaro and breaking into another vehicle at a restaurant on the Southwest Side, the affidavit states.
Court documents say Perez was seen using “an instrument to pry and break the driver side door handle” of a Ford truck. He was then seen leaving the truck with a handbag and driving off in the stolen Camaro.
The owner of the truck reported that a Gucci bag with an unknown amount of money, bank cards, and personal information was stolen from his vehicle, records show.
Two days later, the Camaro was involved in the deadly crash, according to San Antonio Police Chief William McManus.
After the crash, detectives found a black wallet with multiple bank cards and personal information with the truck owner’s name inside the Camaro.
KSAT has reached out to SAPD for more information about Sanchez.
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