An 18-year-old has been arrested in connection with a fatal crash on Interstate 10 that killed three people on Thursday.
The driver of the vehicle, Kevin Avila of Phoenix, was booked into the Pinal County Jail on suspicion of first-degree homicide, numerous counts of endangerment and aggravated assault, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said.
On Thursday at 8:55 a.m., a trooper attempted to stop an SUV for an unknown violation on I-10 westbound near milepost 214, AZDPS said. The vehicle failed to yield and a pursuit ensued.
The SUV crossed the dirt median from westbound I-10 into the eastbound lanes and struck a tractor-trailer head-on, AZDPS said. Eight people were inside the vehicle and several were ejected.
Two people were confirmed dead on scene and one person died upon arriving to a hospital, AZDPS said. Other victims remain in the hospital.
AZDPS said they are working to confirm the identification of the deceased victims and it is an ongoing process with the Pinal County Medical Examiner and the Mexican Consul’s Office.
The Associated Press reported that the Homeland Security Investigations arm of federal Immigration Control and Enforcement said in a statement its special agents would be looking into "the attempted human smuggling activity.”
AZDPS will perform an administrative investigation to determine if procedures were followed. Homeland Security Investigations will also be conducting a parallel investigation.
