A Coachella man has been charged with driving under the influence as a result of a recent crash that took the life of a Palm Desert woman, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said.
Alberto Lopez, 26, showed signs of impairment at the scene of the accident that occurred on Friday, Jan. 13, in Palm Desert; Sgt. Don Olson said in a news release from the department. When investigators ran a records check, they found that Lopez had prior convictions for driving under the influence (DUI).
Lopez is being held on suspicion of murder at the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio with bail set at $1 million, Olson said.
The victim has been identified as Sara Ahmadie, 36, of Palm Desert, a Palm Desert Patch report said this week.
Both drivers were alone in their vehicles when deputies from the Palm Desert Station responded at approximately 2:33 a.m. to a report of a traffic collision at Country Club Drive and Cook Street. The intersection was temporarily closed for the investigation.
Ahmadie, the driver of a red Hyundai Elantra, was found deceased at the scene; Olson said in the report. Lopez was traveling eastbound on Country Club Drive at a "high rate of speed" in a burgundy Dodge Durango when he rear-ended her car, an investigation by the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station Traffic Team determined. At the time of the crash, Ahmadie’s vehicle was stopped at the Country Club Drive and Cook Street intersection.
The investigation remains in progress. Anyone with information on the accident is urged to call Deputy Claro Sanchez of the Palm Desert Station at 760-836-1600.