28-year-old Andy Doreste-Saumell, of Albuquerque, now faces serious charges, including vehicle homicide, reckless driving, child abuse, and participating in illegal street racing that happened last night October 8th, 2023.
The incident unfolded when Albuquerque Police Department (APD) investigators found that two cars were racing at dangerously high speeds on Louisiana Blvd northbound. Their reckless racing ended in a devastating collision with another vehicle at a side street intersection, resulting in the tragic death of the female driver and severely injuring two 14-year-old passengers.
The male driver of one of the racing cars later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital, while his passenger was also critically hurt. Meanwhile, the occupants of the third car, which included a child, suffered less severe injuries.
video from the scene can be found HERE:
The incident occurred at 7:20 PM on a Sunday in the vicinity of Louisiana Blvd. and Delwood Rd., N.E., which is just south of Comanche Rd.
The investigators established that a gold BMW and a green Mini Cooper were racing in the northbound lanes of Louisiana Blvd. Traffic video captured these two vehicles speeding together northbound at several points along Louisiana Blvd. including past Indian School Rd., N.E., and Menaul Blvd., N.E., where they were side by side at high speeds.
Surveillance footage from a nearby home just before impact showed a white Toyota, stationary at Dellwood Rd. and Louisiana Blvd., facing west. As the Toyota attempted to enter Louisiana Blvd., the BMW and Mini Cooper both impacted the Toyota’s driver side.
The aftermath of the crash was harrowing. The BMW spun out of control, eventually crashing into a cinder block wall on the northeast corner. The Mini Cooper flipped over the white Toyota. In the process, the Mini Cooper’s driver was ejected as the car flipped and landed upside down. Tragically, the 24-year-old male driver of the mini cooper did not survive and died at the hospital due to his injuries. The 17-year-old female passenger in the Mini Cooper was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The criminal complaint states, the passenger of the Mini Cooper had a collapsed lung and a damaged blood vessel in her neck.
The white Toyota, following the collision, ended up facing northbound just north of the initial crash site. The adult female driver of the Toyota lost her life at the scene, while the two 14-year-old passengers were transported to a local hospital. The two juveniles in the Toyota Camry were expected to survive. One of the teens had a broken pelvis and a severe concussion.
Doreste-Saumell
The complaint says Doreste-Saumell admitted to exceeding the speed limit, but showed no signs of being under the influence. He told police he knew he was traveling faster than the speed limit. He was subsequently taken into custody and booked overnight at the Metro Detention Center.
