The New Orleans Police Department is looking into a fatal incident that occurred on Almonaster Avenue, where a car crash led to the death of two individuals and injuries to another two. WGNO reports that an emergency call was received at 12:19 a.m. on Sunday, June 8, following the crash that left a man and woman dead at the scene. Two other victims were hospitalized, though details about their conditions have not yet been made public.
Further investigations by the police identified Joshua Stevens, aged 22, as the driver who was reportedly operating his vehicle at high speed before the collision. In a statement obtained by WDSU, authorities detailed that Stevens crashed into the back of the victims' motorcycle, which was stopped at the time. Stevens has since been detained and is being charged with two counts each of vehicular homicide and vehicular negligent injury.
The case is drawing particular attention due to the severity of the consequences of Stevens' actions. According to FOX 8 Live, Stevens was booked into the Orleans Justice Center jail early Sunday on the aforementioned charges, and his bond was set at $150,000. "The suspect was driving his vehicle at a high rate of speed when he ran into the back of the victims' motorcycles, who were currently at a stop," detailed the NOPD in a preliminary report. The police did not comment on whether impairment was suspected in Stevens’ operation of his vehicle.
The legal ramifications for Stevens could be severe, given Louisiana law. If convicted of vehicular homicide, the sentence can be notably harsh if the offender's blood-alcohol level is above certain thresholds or if multiple deaths are caused. As per the law, a person convicted for vehicular homicide involving multiple fatalities faces between five to thirty years in state prison per victim, with sentences to be served consecutively. These details underline the gravity of the event and the lengthy judicial process that may follow.
