A Texas teen is facing charges after crashing into a TSA agent riding an electric bike earlier this year.
According to a November 4 news release by El Paso Police Department spokesman Officer Adrian Cisneros, 19-year-old Vivian Rose Padilla has been charged with collision involving death.
The incident happened on September 7, as TSA employee David Carmine O’Connor, 52, rode an e-bike at around 1:30 a.m., in the 4600 block of Pershing Street in El Paso.
Police said O’Connor had on a reflective vest and a helmet, and had his bike lights on when Padilla, while driving a Kia, plowed into him. He died at the scene.
Padilla did not render aid. She fled the scene and went home, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by KFOX 14. Around 12 hours after the crash, Padilla arrived at the police department with her father.
“She’s the one that hit that person yesterday,” the father reportedly said.
While waiting in the lobby, Padilla’s mother and boyfriend arrived at the station. Her mother advised her to stop talking until she retained an attorney, KTSM 9 News reports.
Investigators were given a written statement by the father, who reportedly said he called Padilla multiple times. During one of those calls, she allegedly admitted to the crash.
While conducting an investigation, the El Paso Police Department’s (EPPD) Special Traffic Investigations unit found broken car parts at the scene, which matched “perfectly” to the Kia Padilla had been driving. They also located blood on the vehicle.
A search warrant also indicated that Padilla was likely using her phone when the crash occurred and after fleeing the scene.
Padilla was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility on a $50,000 bond. She has since been released.
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[Feature Photo: Vivian Rose Padilla/El Paso County Detention Facility]
