Inset: Alexander D. Mendoza being arrested by a Bexar County Sheriff’s Office deputy (BCSO). Background: The intersection where Mendoza allegedly ran a red light, hitting a pregnant driver (Google Maps).
A 30-year-old man in Texas is accused of killing a woman’s unborn child after he allegedly ran a red light while drinking and driving, crashing into the pregnant woman’s car and forcing her into labor early.
Alexander Diaz Mendoza was taken into custody this week and charged with one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, court records show.
According to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, the collision took place the night of Thursday, Feb. 19, at the intersection of Woodlake Parkway and Binz-Engleman Road in San Antonio.
“What happened is, the suspect in this case disregarded a red light and struck another vehicle,” Sheriff Javier Salazar said in a video posted to the office’s Facebook page. “That vehicle had a pregnant mother [inside], that mother was the driver of the other vehicle. As a result of the accident and the injuries she sustained, she actually went into labor and ended up miscarrying the baby.”
Authorities obtained a warrant for Mendoza on Tuesday and placed him under arrest. Salazar identified the defendant as a civilian employee at “one of the military bases nearby.”
The sheriff said investigators were still waiting on results from “the Intoxilyzer,” a machine that uses infrared light absorption to measure breath alcohol content for evidentiary purposes. If the results show that Mendoza had more than the legally permissible amount of alcohol in his system at the time of the crash, he will likely face an additional charge of intoxication manslaughter in connection with the unborn child’s death.
A probable cause affidavit obtained by San Antonio-based CBS affiliate KENS provided some additional details about the fatal collision.
The document alleges that around 9:30 p.m., Mendoza was driving 75 mph in a 40 mph zone when he ran the red light and caused a crash involving four cars, one of which was driven by the pregnant woman. As a result of the collision, the pregnant driver’s car flipped and landed in a ditch.
Medics rushed the victim to a nearby hospital where she underwent emergency surgery but lost the child.
At the scene, authorities said Mendoza allegedly had bloodshot eyes, smelled of alcohol, and was slurring his words. An open beer bottle with some alcohol still inside was also found on the floor of the front passenger seat, according to the affidavit.
Authorities are holding Mendoza in the Bexar County Detention Center. A judge set his bond at $125,000. He is scheduled to appear in court again before Judge Miguel Najera on May 5, records show.
The sheriff’s office emphasized that the investigation into the crash remains ongoing.
