Driver kills 3 women from same family walking home from a baby shower

A drunk driver allegedly killed three women from the same family who were walking home from a baby shower after he ploughed his car into them.

Anthony Lewis Sanchez, 40, from Buena Park, Calif., is accused of smashing his Honda Civic into Carmen Mendoza, 56, her daughter, Sheyla Mendoza, 21, and her niece Stephanie Henriquez, also 21, at 11 p.m. on Saturday evening.

Witnesses said the trio had “no chance of survival” as Sanchez’s vehicle went “straight into them” on South Western Ave. in Anaheim.

Two of the women were thrown through the car’s windshield, said Anaheim police Sgt. Bob Dunn.

Sheyla Mendoza was pronounced dead at the scene, while Carmen Mendoza and Henriquez died later at UC Irvine Medical Center.

Sanchez and his female passenger were taken to the hospital with minor facial injuries.
More than 100 gathered at a memorial site where three Anaheim women were struck and killed around 11 p.m. Saturday. Buena Park resident Anthony Lewis Sanchez, 40, is under arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence and vehicular manslaughter, Anaheim police Sgt. Bob Dunn said.

Orange County District Attorney spokesman Farrah Emami said: “The defendant is accused of crashing into these three victims, and he didn’t stop.

“He barely hit his brakes, and he barely slowed down at all.”

Sanchez has been charged with three felony counts of vehicular manslaughter causing death with gross negligence.

He faces up to 12 years in a state prison if convicted.

Evelyn Morales, whose baby shower the women were at before the tragedy, said she was “devastated” by the news.

She said: “We’re trying to work with it. It’s tough, especially with three losses.”

Police revealed that Sanchez, who is registered as a truck driver, was charged in 2006 with possession of methamphetamine.

The charge was dismissed after he completed a drug-treatment program. He was also busted in 1997 for possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell.

Source:naij.com