Young couple killed in Highway 99 crash in Fresno named. CHP says other driver was DUI
A young Mendota couple killed in a deadly Highway 99 crash that officers say may have involved a drunken driver were identified Tuesday by Fresno County authorities.
The crash at 6 a.m. Saturday near McKinley Avenue on northbound Highway 99 killed the 20-year-old driver, Mariano Cruz, and 18-year-old passenger Emily Ochoa Ascencio, according to the Fresno County Coroner’s Office.
The two were dating, according to the coroner’s office.
A 21-year-old man in a 2015 Hyundai made an unsafe lane change and the rear of his car clipped the left front of a 2001 Mitsubishi carrying Cruz and Ochoa Ascencio, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Cruz lost control and the Mitsubishi left the roadway down an embankment north of McKinley, CHP said. It struck a tree with enough force to uproot the tree, and the two young people inside were pronounced dead at the scene, CHP said.
Officers later discovered Cruz was not wearing a seat belt, CHP said.
The 21-year-old man in the Hyundai was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to CHP. The Hyundai stopped in a field north of the Mitsubishi after crashing through a fence.
The driver — identified Tuesday as Eugene Roebuck of Fresno — was taken to Fresno Community Regional Medical Center, according to CHP.
Roebuck was arrested after leaving the hospital and was held on $277,000 bail, but has since posted bail, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said. He could face charges for DUI resulting in death and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, a spokesperson said.
