A man was held behind bars Wednesday on suspicion of driving under the influence, hit-and-run, and three counts of vehicular manslaughter in connection with a Saturday night crash in west Riverside County that resulted in the deaths of an 8-year-old girl and two women, ages 33 and 62, sheriff's officials said.
Darrill Rasim Asani, 26, of Jurupa Valley, was arrested early Sunday and he was locked up Oct. 16 at Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta, according to inmate records. He was held on $100,000 bail and he has a court date Thursday in Riverside.
Deputies responded to the 10050 block of Limonite Avenue, south of the 60 and east of the 15, just before 10 p.m. Oct. 12, Sgt. Christian Dekker of the sheriff's Jurupa Valley station said in a statement.
"Upon arrival it appeared that two vehicles had been involved in a head-on collision," Dekker said. "Three occupants of one vehicle were pronounced deceased at the scene and four other occupants were transported to the hospital and are in stable condition."
The deceased were identified Sunday as:
- Elizabeth Mendez, 8, of Norwalk
- Elizabeth Mendez, 33, of Norwalk
- Maria Contreras De Mendez, 62, of Norwalk
Coroner's officials did not specify the victims' relationships. Their reports indicated the 8-year-old girl and the 33-year-old woman had the same first and last names.
The cause of the crash was being investigated. Anyone with more info was urged to call the Jurupa Valley station at (951) 955-2600 or (951) 776-1099.
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