Tucson police arrested a man in connection with a crash that killed an 8-year-old girl west of downtown.
Police said Brent William Youvella, 35, fled the scene of the crash Tuesday night but was arrested Thursday morning. He was booked into the Pima County jail on suspicion of leaving the scene of a serious accident/fatal collision.
Tucson police said Yarel Ruiz, 8, who was a passenger in the car that Youvellaโs vehicle collided with, died from injuries she suffered in the crash.
Shortly before 10 p.m. Tuesday, officers were sent to West Congress Street and South Grande Avenue for reports of a serious collision.
Tucson Fire Department personnel took three people with life-threatening injuries from the crash to Banner-University Medical Center. A fourth person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Traffic detectives determined that a 2015 Chevrolet Camaro was traveling west on Congress at a high rate of speed. As the Camaro approached the intersection of Grande Avenue, the light turned green for northbound-southbound traffic. The Camaro continued through the intersection and collided with a 2017 Hyundai Sonata that was going north through the intersection.
Youvella fled but was arrested Thursday at his residence in the 500 block of West Thurber Road, police said. It was the same day that detectives learned Yarel had died, police said.
The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be filed, police said. Failure to stop at a red light and excessive speed by Youvella were the major contributing factors of the collision, they said.
