Background: News footage of the scene in Miami, Fla. on Sept. 18 (WPLG). Inset (left): Oscar Andres Portillo Lopez (Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation). Inset (right): Cinthia Liliana Sierra Linares (GoFundMe).
A Florida driver is in custody after police said he was involved in two car crashes the same night, one of them fatal.
Oscar Andres Portillo Lopez, 24, was behind the wheel of his Honda Accord on the night of Sept. 18 when police said he rear-ended a Chevrolet Colorado on the streets of Miami, Florida. According to an arrest affidavit reviewed by Law&Crime, Portillo Lopez was seen by the driver of the Colorado “swerving from left to right at a high rate of speed” before the alleged collision. After hitting the Colorado, he then backed up and drove into the vehicle a second time, police said.
The driver of the Colorado reportedly saw Portillo Lopez drive past her vehicle after the alleged collisions and “look over toward her and smile in a sarcastic manner.”
But according to police, that was not the end of Portillo Lopez”s series of collisions.
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According to the court documents, Portillo Lopez fled from the scene while running several red lights. He continued driving until he allegedly slammed into a Jeep Compass driven by 35-year-old Cinthia Liliana Sierra Linares. The Compass reportedly struck a traffic pole, and Portillo Lopez’s Accord was finally stopped when it careened into a traffic sign and a wall.
Police said that a passenger who was riding in the Colorado saw the crash and got out to help Linares. The passenger also reportedly saw Portillo Lopez exit his vehicle laughing and shouting in Spanish, “What’s the problem?”
Linares, a Colombian immigrant who was described as a “dear friend” on GoFundMe, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver of the Colorado suffered a fractured tooth and bruising; her passenger told police he had a hand injury.
When police got hold of Portillo Lopez, they said in their report that he smelled of alcohol and was slurring his words. He was treated at the hospital for a broken wrist before being booked into Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation, where he is being held without bond. Portillo Lopez was charged with vehicular homicide in a reckless manner and two counts of leaving the scene of a crash causing serious bodily injury.
Police said that his toxicology results were pending.
During a court appearance on Monday, a judge ruled that Portillo Lopez will remain in custody until trial. His arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 10.
