Authorities have arrested a man after he hit a car. killed an 8-year-old boy and injured three other family members last year in Riverside.
The accident occurred around 7:30 a.m. on May 16, 2023, near the intersection of Arlington Avenue and Stover Avenue when the driver was speeding down Arlington Avenue and crossed into the oncoming lane, according to Riverside police.
Riverside Police Department
Investigators say the driver, now identified as 23-year-old Andres Laris of Riverside, collided head-on with another car traveling in the opposite direction.
Read more: Riverside residents demand more safety measures after 8-year-old dies in accident
The force of the impact took all four occupants of the car to the hospital, where 8-year-old Obed Barbosa-Carbajal later died. His siblings, a 16-year-old brother, a 10-year-old sister and a 25-year-old sister who drove them to school, suffered serious injuries.
“Investigators concluded that Mr. Laris was traveling at more than 160 km/h when he collided with the Nissan. Toxicological tests also detected cannabis in his blood,” police said in a statement.
Riverside Police Department
Laris was arrested on Thursday after a months-long investigation, police said. He had previously been hospitalized after sustaining injuries in the accident.
Because of his “reckless actions” that caused the accident, investigators recommended filing charges, which the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office approved.
Laris was charged with murder for causing Barbosa-Carbajal’s death and three counts of driving across a highway with serious bodily harm, police said. He is being held on $1 million bail.
The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office has admitted one count of murder for the death of the 8-year-old victim and three counts of driving on a highway causing great bodily injury to the surviving siblings. Mr. Laris is currently in custody on $1 million bail.
