Man charged with intoxicated manslaughter in multi-vehicle crash had prior DWI arrests, conviction
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- A man who is accused of killing a woman in a crash involving four vehicles has a history of arrests for driving while intoxicated.
That's according to El Paso County Jail records as well as the complaint affidavit obtained by ABC-7.
El Paso Police Dept. officials released the mugshot for Jorge Salinas Escajeda, 50, Tuesday morning. He was booked into the county jail Sunday night, charged with intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle.
Escajeda is accused of causing a deadly four-vehicle crash Saturday, July 22 at the intersection of North Desert Boulevard and North Mesa Street.
Police said Escajeda was speeding when he hit a Hyundai Sonata stopped at the intersection's red light, pushing the Sonata into two other vehicles also at the light.
According to the complaint affidavit, witnesses saw Escajeda go over to the Sonata and look inside the vehicle before returning to his car, gathering his belongings, and walking off. A passenger in the Sonata, Alva Aida Razo, 72, was critically wounded in the crash and ended up dying at University Medical Center of El Paso.
Witnesses told police they stopped Escajeda from leaving the crash site until police arrived and placed him in the back of a squad car.
According to the affidavit, officers stated Escajeda had a white coating on his lips and nose and he was sweating excessively in the vehicle, despite the air conditioning running "at full power." An officer stated he could smell alcohol emitting from Escajeda. The affidavit states Escajeda admitted to drinking two beers before the crash.
The affidavit stated Escajeda began stating, "kill me, kill me." Escajeda also told police he was headed into El Paso from Horizon City when "unknown vehicles began to chase him." He claimed that, after the crash the people in those vehicles began to assault him.
El Paso County Jail records show Escajeda has been arrested and charged three times with Driving While Intoxicated. Court records show he was convicted of DWI in 2001 and his latest arrest for DWI was in April of this year.
Escajeda remains in the county jail under a $1.2 million bond.
