A South Florida man was arrested after police say he was behind the wheel of a car that lost control and crashed into a gas station sign last month in Miami, killing three of his passengers.
Erwin Rommel Recinos Zuniga, 26, of Miami-Dade, was arrested Thursday and faces a slew of charges, including three counts of DUI manslaughter and three counts of reckless vehicular homicide, according to a police report.
The crash happened after 3 a.m. on Feb. 13 at the Valero gas station on Southwest 48th Avenue and West Flagler Street.
Police said Zuniga, who was speeding westbound on Flagler, attempted to pass vehicles, drove into oncoming traffic, struck a center median, and then lost control of the vehicle before it struck a light pole. The impact of the crash ejected two passengers before the car finally crashed into the Valero sign.
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Investigators said Zuniga was driving at a speed of 126 mph in a 40 mph zone.
The two passengers died at the scene, police said. A third passenger died at the hospital, and a fourth passenger was transported in critical condition.
According to the police report, a friend told investigators that Zuniga took five or six shots of whiskey before getting behind the wheel to drive everyone to a nearby club.
A toxicology report shows Zuniga had a blood alcohol level of 0.123 and THC in his system at the time of the crash, police said.
Zuniga also faces charges of DUI, reckless driving with serious bodily injury and property damage. He's expected to appear in bond court Friday morning. Attorney information was not available.
