RANCHO SANTE FE, Calif.—
New details emerged Tuesday in the case of a deadly suspected drunk driving crash involving five Torrey Pines High School seniors.California Highway Patrol officers said the driver will be arraigned as a juvenile on Wednesday. CHP Sgt. Lewis Hall said the district attorney accepted the case on Tuesday and agreed with the charges of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and felony driving under the influence recommended by CHP investigators.
Lewis said the teens left what may have been a birthday party early Sunday morning. They were driving in the 5000 block of La Granada in Rancho Sante Fe when the driver of the Mazda 3 lost control and flipped several times, killing 17-year-old Alex Capozza.
"It's pretty clear that speed was definitely a factor in the collision," Hall said.
The crash debri spread over 200 feet along La Granada. One of the five teenagers in the car was sent to the hospital. Lewis said Capozza and the hospitalized teen weren't wearing seat belts. The driver and the other two passengers were buckled up.
"All three of those either had no injuries to very minor injuries," he said.
Capozza's aunt Laure Capozza said the family can't grasp the fact that Alex is gone.
"They're devastated," she said. "Every family member is completely devastated."
The CHP said it has located the home where about 20 teens were partying the night of the crash. Officers don't believe the homeowners were aware of the party or home at the time. The CHP is investigating how the high schoolers got the booze and the possible drugs.
