LOS ANGELES (AP) — A murder charge was filed Monday against a man that prosecutors say tried to kill his girlfriend and four children by driving the wrong way on a Los Angeles freeway.
Cesar Iban Torres, 31, also was charged with attempted murder, child abuse and other crimes for last Thursday’s crash on Interstate 101 in Encino. His Lincoln Navigator SUV plowed head-on into a tractor-trailer rig.
The crash killed Aimee Garcia, 26. The couple’s four children, who are 1 to 7 years old, had moderate injuries, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Torres was arrested after fleeing the wreck and resisting arrest, authorities said. He was jailed on $1 million bail.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Torres had an attorney to speak on his behalf.
Garcia’s brother, Juan Zavala, told KTLA-TV that his sister had the victim of domestic violence and that he was on the phone with her and heard the couple arguing before the crash.
“Unfortunately, my sister sacrificed herself for her kids. It just hurts that the kids are going to grow up without a mother,” Zavala said.
