A young man pleaded guilty to gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and DUI causing injury on Tuesday for the crash that killed a 26-year-old woman and two others.
Erwin Mejia Ramos, 21, was arrested last year for the July 29 crash that killed his backseat passenger, 26-year-old Sarai Valentina Olvera, and injured another woman in the car. Mejia Ramos previously pleaded not guilty in August 2022.
The crash happened around 12:30 a.m. in the 1100 block of Orange Avenue, killing Olvera “instantly,” according to Deputy District Attorney Amy Colby. Police said Ramos’ other passenger, a 20-year-old woman in the front passenger seat, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to the prosecutor, Ramos and his passengers traveled from Riverside to San Diego County, where they consumed alcohol at La Jolla Cove before traveling to Coronado. Ramos drove at speeds of 60 to 80 mph “by his own estimation” in a 25 mph zone, according to Colby.
The prosecutor said Ramos’ blood-alcohol content on the night of the crash has not been officially confirmed. Still, she said it was over .15%, which is about twice the legal driving limit in California.
