Sacramento man found guilty in DUI crash that left 5 killed

A man was was sentenced to 181 years to life in prison by a jury at Sacramento County Superior Court on Wednesday in connection with a deadly DUI crash in 2023. The defendant, Cameron Garcia, was convicted of five counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and carjacking, according to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office. Garcia received a sentencing enhancement for fleeing after committing a gross vehicular manslaughter and personally using a deadly weapon when committing the offense. Garcia pleaded guilty to evading officers prior to trial, the district attorney's office said. Prosecutors said the crash occurred on River Road just south of the Freeport Bridge on Feb. 9, 2023 after Garcia spent the day drinking at the American River, before driving himself and five passengers in his vehicle. Investigators determined Garcia was traveling 101 miles per hour when he drove off the road down an embankment while applying the accelerator before hitting a tree. The impact caused the car to flip 180 degrees and tear the entire right side and most of the roof off the vehicle. All five passengers, 16-year-old Curvontay Swygert, 17-year-old Aahliya Garcia, 18-year-old Faith Samuel, 19-year-old Izabelle Salaz-Stephens, and 29-year-old Monte Nunn, were pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. A woman who was nearby heard the crash and drove to the incident, officials said. When she arrived, Garcia got into her car, pushed her out of the driver’s seat, and sped off with the vehicle. Garcia then drove to Elk Grove, where he was chased by multiple law enforcement patrol cars and helicopters. Garcia crashed the stolen vehicle into another car, and after a failed attempt to steal another person’s car, he fled on foot into a neighborhood. Law enforcement pursued Garcia until he was apprehended. Garcia was later taken to the hospital, where blood tests showed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.11% an hour and a half before the crash and active marijuana in his system. Garcia’s sentencing is set for Aug. 19, 2026, at 1:30 P.M. in Department 13A. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel | Make KCRA a preferred news source in Google