Girl, 17, killed, mother hurt in Oakland hit-and-run DUI crash
OAKLAND, Calif. - A 17-year-old girl was killed and her mother was injured in Oakland by a suspected hit-and-run driver who was intoxicated, according to investigators.
The teenager, Mardenia Carrillo Lopez, was in a crosswalk with her mother when they were hit by a car near 72nd Avenue and International Boulevard at about 6:30 p.m. Monday.
Mardenia died at the scene.
Her mother suffered injuries to her hand and shoulder. But the driver didn't stop. Instead, he ended up crashing into a tree in the center median blocks away. The Impala ended up near 84th and International.
Her father, Leonel Carillo tried to hold back tears as his church and the indigenous Mam community from Guatemala remembered his Mardenia at a Tuesday evening vigil. The family regularly attended church on East 12th Street.
"I am very sad and desperate now," he said through an interpreter. "I feel really attached to my daughter and she's really attached to me. Every time I come home, she comes straight to my arms. She's always with me. She never wants to separate from me."
He said the family had taken a trip to explore San Francisco on Sunday, a day before she was killed.
"I'm feeling sad, because it's bad news for us," said Oakland pastor Hector Hugo, who is supporting the family, including the girl's father.
"For now, all of the people from this church, we stay with him and his family for this bad time," Hugo said.
Carillo's wife, Maria Lopez Aguilar, was also hit. She's currently in the hospital with a broken arm.
"When they got hit yesterday, they were both crossing the road, but she just remembers waking up in the hospital. She doesn't remember her daughter getting hit," added Carillo.
KTVU has learned the suspect is Agusto Matias. He was detained with the help of witnesses, arrested by Alameda County sheriff's deputies and turned over to Oakland police.
He was booked on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter, hit-and-run, and DUI. Records show he has prior DUIs.
Mardenia's friend Adi Domingo said the two met at Oakland International High School.
"She said she was really nice and she never talked bad about anybody else," Domingo said through an interpreter.
Hugo said the tragedy is a sobering reminder of the consequences of drinking and driving.
The deadly crash has also renewed concerns that busy International Boulevard has been reduced to one lane of traffic, which some say has led to drivers using the bus-only lane and causing crashes.
"It is very sad. The city of Oakland hasn't done anything," said Crecencio Ramirez, founder of Radio B'Alam in Oakland, which broadcasts in Maya Mam, a Mayan language spoken by the victim's family in Guatemala. He's been sharing news of the tragedy.
"This is not the first accident. I've seen about three of four family members in the Mam community, pass away because of a car crash," Ramirez said.
The latest crash happened in Councilmember Kevin Jenkins' district. He says safety along International can be a challenge.
"It's an absolute tragedy every time there's a loss of life for just someone so young, full of life ahead of them, because of reckless driving," Jenkins said.
"I want justice for my daughter," said Carillo.
Mardenia is also survived by two older brothers. Carillo said it's unclear if her mother's arm will fully heal, but she remains in stable condition.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan
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