Man Crashes Pickup Truck Into Cyclists, Killing 2, Injuring 11; Arrested
KEY POINTS
- Pedro Quintana-Lujan was arrested on two counts of manslaughter charges
- He also faces charges of aggravated assault, endangerment, and causing serious injury or death by a moving violation
- It is not clear what caused the crash
A man has been arrested in Arizona after he crashed his pickup truck killing 2 cyclists and injuring 11 people.
The deputies responded to the scene at about 8 a.m. on Feb. 25 after receiving a report of a crash involving a large cycling group on Cotton Lane Bridge, a busy highway in Goodyear located west of Phoenix.
Pedro Quintana-Lujan, 26, who was driving the pickup truck hauling a trailer remained at the scene of the crash, police said. He was taken into custody on multiple charges including two counts of manslaughter, the Goodyear Police department said in a news release Sunday.
In addition to the manslaughter charges, Quintana-Lujan faces three counts of aggravated assault, 18 counts of endangerment, and two counts of causing serious injury or death by a moving violation, USA Today reported.
Investigators have not released the identities of the victims. According to reports, a female bicyclist died at the scene, and another victim died at a hospital. One of the deceased victims is a Goodyear resident, while the other was visiting from out of state, police said.
According to reports, one of the injured cyclists was in critical condition.
"The Goodyear Police department is deeply saddened by this tragedy and extends condolences to the loved ones of the victims as well as to the cycling community and the community as a whole," police spokeswoman Lisa Berry said.
Meanwhile, it is not clear why the driver crashed into the cyclists. It is also not known if the speed or impairment of the driver caused the crash as the investigation is still in the early stages, reports said.
"These are individuals that are finding a way to be healthy and to be out there with friends. And now there are people that aren't coming home," said John Hogen, vice president of the Rob Dollar Foundation, a non-profit founded in memory of Rob Dollar, a bike rider who was killed in Phoenix in 2017.
"Anytime this happens it's a flashback. Our heart is going to those families because we know the pain they're feeling," Hogen told AZ Family.
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