Man charged with reckless homicide, DUI in 2024 crash that killed 2 people outside CPD headquarters
A man has been charged with reckless homicide and driving under the influence in a crash that killed two people outside Chicago Police Headquarters in 2024.
Erick Garcia-Ambriz, 19, has been charged with two counts of reckless homicide and two counts of aggravated DUI.
Police said he was arrested Tuesday at his home in the Archer Heights neighborhood.
He was identified as the driver who ran a red light at the intersection of 35th Street and Michigan Avenue around 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 14, 2024, crashing his Infiniti into a silver sedan. Police said Garcia-Ambriz was intoxicated at the time of the crash.
The impact was so hard it sent debris flying up and down Michigan Avenue outside of Chicago Police Headquarters in the Bronzeville neighborhood. The silver sedan flipped onto its side, landing on the sidewalk. The impact sheared off one of its wheels.
Police said the 46-year-old man driving the sedan and a 41-year-old woman who was his passenger were killed in the wreck.
Garcia-Ambriz was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center in fair condition after the crash. He received three traffic citations two days after the crash, but the investigation remained open at the time, and he did not face felony charges until his arrest on Tuesday.
He was due to appear for a detention hearing on the reckless homicide charges on Wednesday.