Man arrested after DHS/ICE pursuit leads to crash that killed Georgia teacher: Police

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — A man was taken into custody and charged with vehicular homicide on Monday after he allegedly crashed during a pursuit in Savannah, Georgia, killing an elementary school teacher. According to preliminary information from the Chatham County Police Department (CCPD), 38-year-old Oscar Vasquez Lopez was attempting to flee a traffic stop initiated by the Department of Homeland Security/Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS/ICE) when he crashed into another person's vehicle on Whitefield Avenue in Savannah. Linda Davis, a Hesse K-8 school teacher, was in the vehicle Lopez crashed into. Davis and Lopez were transported to a nearby hospital following the incident. Davis succumbed to her injuries, and Lopez reportedly had non-life-threatening injuries. Officials from the CCPD took Lopez into custody and charged him with homicide by vehicle in the first degree, reckless driving, driving without a valid license, and failure to obey a traffic control device. CCPD said a second bystander vehicle was involved in the crash, but no injuries or medical treatment were reported from that vehicle. Authorities said CCPD was not involved in the DHS/ICE operation. "The Chatham County Police Department was also not aware of the DHS/ICE operation or pursuit until after the crash," officials said on social media. The car crash took place at approximately 8:41 a.m. on Whitefield Avenue and Truman Parkway. Pasa la Voz Noticias shared a video with Nexstar's WSAV, which showed DHS agents present at the scene of the incident. WSAV has reached out to DHS for further information and is waiting to hear back.