A man who caused a catastrophic drunk-driving crash on Indianapolis's south side in July 2024 has been sentenced to 13 years in prison, more than a year after federal agents finally tracked him down. Alexis Otoniel Hernandez-Araujo, a citizen of El Salvador unlawfully in the United States, pleaded guilty to three counts of causing serious bodily injury when operating a vehicle while intoxicated, along with causing death when operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated.
The Marion County Prosecutor's Office confirmed the 13-year sentence, according to Fox 59. As part of a plea deal, the state dismissed five other felony charges, including four counts of causing serious bodily injury while operating a vehicle with an ACE of .08 and one Level 5 felony count of reckless homicide.
The crash happened just after midnight on July 6, 2024, in the 1200 block of Reisner Street. Witnesses estimated Hernandez-Araujo was driving roughly 90 mph northbound on South Reisner Street near Morris and Harding streets when he slammed into a car driven by Keyonna Hall and then struck six parked vehicles, according to WTHR. Hall was serving as a designated driver for her family at the time, according to the station's report.
A Baby Delivered by Emergency C-Section
Hall was pregnant and carrying two children in her vehicle when the impact occurred, per WTHR. She was rushed to Eskenazi Hospital, where doctors performed an emergency C-section to deliver her newborn son and save the child's life, the same outlet reported. A 5-year-old passenger was thrown into a ditch during the crash and suffered a fractured skull and a broken hip, while a 14-year-old passenger suffered a broken shoulder, injuries that formed the basis for three of the Level 4 felony charges against Hernandez-Araujo.
Hernandez-Araujo's own 19-year-old brother was riding in his vehicle as a passenger and was ejected during the crash. He died at the scene, per the same account relayed by WTHR.
He Slipped Away Before Formal Arrest
Despite the scale of the wreck, Hernandez-Araujo was not formally arrested at the time. Fox 59 reports that he slipped away because he was never officially placed under arrest, and he reportedly resisted being detained by law enforcement after the crash, according to previous reporting cited by the outlet. The state placed a seven-day hold on him, and a warrant for his arrest was issued in 2025.
It took a joint operation between the FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to finally catch up with him. Federal agents with FBI Indianapolis and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations coordinated a year-long search before apprehending Hernandez-Araujo on the west side of Indianapolis on July 17, 2025, according to The Bloomingtonian.
He Was Already on Probation for a Prior DUI
Court records show this was not Hernandez-Araujo's first brush with impaired driving. He was on probation for a prior drinking-and-driving charge at the time of the fatal crash. Marion Superior Court 31 dockets listed a hearing on a violation of probation for Hernandez-Araujo on Thursday, tied to a November 2022 misdemeanor OWI case, according to court records maintained by Indy.gov.
That prior record carried real weight under Indiana law. Operating a vehicle while intoxicated escalates to a Level 4 felony when it results in death or serious injury and the driver has a prior DUI within five years, according to McNeelyLaw LLP. Under Indiana Code § 35-50-2-5.5, a Level 4 felony carries a fixed prison term of two to 12 years, with an advisory sentence of six years and fines of up to $10,000.
Why He Must Serve Time Behind Bars
Hernandez-Araujo's 13-year sentence must be served as executed prison time rather than through community corrections or work release. Under Indiana Code § 35-38-2.6-3, convictions for operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death or serious bodily injury are non-suspendible, according to Banks & Brower, meaning the law restricts alternative placement options for severe OWI offenses involving casualties.
Cases like this one reflect a broader pattern in impaired-driving deaths nationwide. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data indicates that alcohol-impaired driving crashes account for roughly one-third of all traffic fatalities across the country each year, a statistic Hoodline has previously reported on. Indiana Criminal Justice Institute data compiled after 2020 showed the state's traffic fatalities climbing above 900 annually, a multi-year peak driven largely by impaired driving, speeding, and unbelted occupants, according to data shared by WRTV6 on Facebook.
The city has its own stated goals for curbing these deaths. Indianapolis operates under an official Vision Zero action plan aimed at eliminating all traffic-related fatalities and severe injuries on city roadways by 2035, a policy Hoodline has detailed previously, relying on targeted enforcement and street redesign to bring down fatal collisions.
