Chaparral man sentenced to 15 years for deadly New Year’s crash
UPDATE (Oct. 28, 2026): A man from Chaparral, New Mexico, received a 15-year prison sentence for a New Year's Day crash that killed an 18-year-old girl, the 34th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday.
Forty-eight-year-old Abel Garcia pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle, a second-degree felony punishable by two to 20 years in prison.
(Courtesy: EPPD)
The crash happened Jan. 1 around 2 a.m. at the intersection of Gateway North Boulevard and Sean Haggerty Drive in Northeast El Paso.
Investigators said Garcia ran a red light and t-boned a Chevrolet Camaro.
The passenger, 18-year-old Angelique Diaz De Leon died at the scene, according to officials. Her boyfriend and driver, 20-year-old Nicholas Ramirez was injured.
A sample of Garcia's blood revealed a blood alcohol concentration of 0.139, above the legal limit of 0.08, officials said.
"Angelique was a young woman with her whole life ahead of her. While no sentence can undo the loss her family and Nicholas carry every day, we were determined to hold Mr. Garcia accountable without making them wait years for a resolution," said District Attorney James Montoya in a statement.
Update (4:30 PM): Court documents obtained by ABC-7 state that Abel Garcia, the man charged with intoxication manslaughter after the fatal New Year's Day crash on Sean Haggerty, told police officers that he had six beers before the crash. The officers also reported seeing Garcia display signs of intoxication.
Court documents state that videos showed Garcia had run the red light and T-boned the other car.
The blood test came back almost two weeks later. The court documents state that Garcia's blood alcohol level was 0.139.
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- El Paso Police arrested Abel Garcia, 48, and charged him with intoxication manslaughter after the crash on Sean Haggerty New Year's Day that killed Angelique Diaz De Leon, 18.
Investigators say that Garcia's pickup truck T-boned the car Diaz was riding in. The driver of the other car suffered minor injuries.
Police say that Garcia violated a red light. They add that alcohol may have been a contributing factor.
ORIGINAL STORY (January 1, 2026): ABC-7 is following a crash in Northeast El Paso that has closed all lanes on Gateway North at Sean Haggerty Thursday morning.
According to El Paso Police on X the crash happened just after 2 a.m.
Police say all lanes will remain closed until further notice.
This is a developing story and we will update you as we learn more.
