He tried to kill himself and his passenger, but the crash killed a stranger instead, Calif. cops say
A California man arrested after a fatal car crash in Ventura County last month caused the wreck because he was trying to kill himself and his passenger, The Associated Press reported, citing court records.
The man, 30-year-old Eduardo Robles, was driving a gray Honda sedan on westbound Highway 126 in Fillmore on May 31 when police said he purposely rammed into the back of another car, according to KTLA.
That rammed car then careened into the eastbound lanes of the highway and directly into the path of a tractor-trailer, according to ABC 7.
The driver of the car, 28-year-old Benjamin Brown of Oxnard, was pronounced dead on the scene, according to ABC 7 and NBC 4.
Robles received minor injuries in the crash, while the passenger in his car, a 41-year-old man, and the driver of the tractor-trailer were taken to a hospital with non life-threatening injuries, according to NBC 4 and the Associated Press.
Authorities say Robles told them he used cocaine earlier on the day of the crash and drank as many as six cans of beer, the Associated Press reported. He had initially been arrested after the crash on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to KTLA.
Authorities say Robles told them he believed his passenger was involved with the police and that the government was putting pressure on him, and he wanted to end the pressure by killing himself and his passenger, the Ventura County Star reported, citing court records.
Ventura County Sheriff’s Detective Greg Cadman wrote in court documents that, when Robles was asked what he thought happened to the other car’s driver, he said the driver probably died, the Ventura County Star reported.
"Robles then began to laugh," Cadman wrote, according to the Ventura County Star. Robles has been charged with felony second-degree murder and felony attempted murder, the newspaper reported.
A GoFundMe account has been started on behalf of Brown's five-year-old son. As of Tuesday morning, the account had raised $3,540 of a $5,000 goal.
This story was originally published June 19, 2018 at 10:12 AM with the headline "He tried to kill himself and his passenger, but the crash killed a stranger instead, Calif. cops say."