A shuttle bus was traveling from Fort Worth to Eagle Pass when the wreck unfolded, killing several inside, including the 50-year-old driver.
SAN ANTONIO — A 19-year-old who police say was behind the wheel of a stolen, speeding and swerving Camaro that was speeding and swerving when it caused a deadly bus crash in southwest San Antonio has been arrested.
Ethan Michael Gonzales is one of four people who authorities say were spotted fleeing the scene of the July 17 wreck on Interstate 35 south near Cassin Road. Police officials say the other three – Matthew Andres Espinoza, Eric Rene Perez and John Michael Sanchez – are already in custody for separate charges, including vehicle burglary.
Espinoza and Perez were arrested in August, accused of stealing the 2018 Chevy Camaro when surveillance footage linked them to the theft. That alleged theft happened July 14, just three days before the major wreck.
Five people riding in the bus that was en route to Eagle Pass died and 15 others were seriously injured. Among those killed was the bus’s 50-year-old driver.
San Antonio police officials said DNA evidence helped link Gonzales to the Camaro, which was stolen from its owner’s driveway on July 14. Cell phone records also placed him at the scene of the wreck, authorities added.
“Our hearts truly go out to all the families involved in this tragedy,” SAPD Spokesperson Emily Garvin said Wednesday afternoon. “This is simply a reminder that these detectives are working so hard to bring justice to these families, no matter the time frame.”
Gonzales faces five counts of manslaughter and five counts of hit-and-run resulting in death, with “dozens of felony charges still pending,” Garvin said.
KENS 5 had obtained surveillance video showing the moments when two men stole the Camaro from a northeast-Bexar County home in July.
What happened on July 17?
Law enforcement responded to I-35 South near Cassin on the afternoon of July 17, where evidence of a major wreck was visible, including a stopped 18-wheeler and heavily damaged shuttle bus.
Authorities said the speeding Camaro hit a trailer being pulled by the bus, causing the bus to lose control and veer into the path of the big rig before rolling. Police on Wednesday said the Camaro was reaching speeds of 105 mph and was seen “swerving in and out of lanes prior to the crash.”
Two people died on scene; three others later passed at a local hospital. The victims included the bus’s 50-year-old driver, Jose Hector Guerra. The others killed included 42-year-old Alicia Gonzalez, 78-year-old Maria del Rosario Sanchez and 69-year-old Rosalio Aguilera.
Four people were seen fleeing the crash site, launching an intense search by police who scoured nearby brush for the suspects, with help from the air. The owner said that while she was frustrated about her vehicle being stolen, she was more upset that people lost their lives.
“The cars can be replaced; you can’t replace a life,” she told KENS 5 in July.