Aimee Garcia.Photo: Facebook
KNBC,KABC, and theLosAngelesDailyNewsreport that police have accused Cesar Iban Torres of purposely driving his SUV into the path of a tractor trailer.
The crash happened on the 101 Freeway in Encino last Thursday, just after 7 p.m., after Torres allegedly entered the freeway from an off-ramp.
Aimee Garcia, 26, was pronounced dead at the scene after firefighters were unable to extract her from the mangled vehicle.
The couple’s four children, who are all under the age of 9, were taken to an area hospital with minor injuries.
A Taser was used on Torres, who was eventually hogtied and taken to the hospital for treatment.
Juan Zavala, Garcia’s brother, told KABC Torres had called him hours before the crash and said strange things.
“He said [that] God talked to him and he said he has to give his family to God, and I’m like ‘No, what are you talking about?,'” Zavala said.
The grieving brother said he spoke to one of his nephews, who said his parents struggled for control of the steering wheel.
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“He said, ‘Mommy saved us,’ and that broke my heart,” Zavala explained, calling his sister “a beautiful soul taken too soon.”
Torres is being held on $1 million bail, charged with first-degree murder and resisting arrest. It was not immediately clear if he has entered a plea or retained an attorney.
A GoFundMe campaignlaunched to help cover Garcia’s burial costs describes her as “a loving, caring mother,” alleging she “was a victim of domestic violence for many years.”
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
