Jaquinn Bell was arrested in the hit-and-run deaths of three teenage girls who had gone trick-or-treating on Halloween, authorities said Monday.
Bell, 31, was tracked down at a motel in Stanton on Sunday, two days after the 13-year-old girls were struck and killed.
Authorities said Bell abandoned his Honda CR-V and fled after he collided with twin sisters Lexi and Alexandra Perez and their friend Andrea Gonzalez on Friday night.
All three girls, who had been trick or treating in the Santa Ana neighbourhood, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Santa Ana police Chief Carlos Rojas said Bell had two minor children in the vehicle with him at the time.
Upon learning of Bell’s arrest, Andrea’s 21-year-old brother, Josafat Gonzalez, told the Los Angeles Times: “It won’t bring my sister back, but the people who committed such a terrible crime will get their time in court and justice will be served.”
On Sunday, the twins’ mother Cynthia Huerta told CBS News: “I can’t find the words to describe this intense pain.”
Mourners lit candles and left flowers and candy in the girls’ honour at a makeshift memorial on the Santa Ana street corner.
A memorial fund was set up online to raise money for a funeral and memorial for the Perez twins.
A separate online fund was set up for Andrea Gonzalez.
Agencies/Canadajournal