CORRECTION: A prior version of this story stated fentanyl was found in Reyad's system after the crash. The original story did not clarify that first responders administered fentanyl to Reyad in the wake of the crash, and there is no indication Reyad had any fentanyl in his system prior to the incident.
The suspect in a crash that killed a 66-year-old Bakersfield woman had THC in his system, according to court documents.
The documents state blood tests revealed Reyad had THC in his system. THC is the psychoactive component of marijuana.
Gayla Sue Price died April 18 when the car she was driving was struck head-on by another car on Campus Park Drive in Southwest Bakersfield. The driver of that car, 18-year-old Karim Reyad, survived the crash.
According to court documents, the investigating officer in charge of this case documented that Reyad was going at least 100 miles per hour, double the speed limit.
Court documents go on to say that both of Reyad’s passengers witnessed Reyad operating the vehicle under the influence of marijuana.
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Upon executing a search warrant, officers found a Supherb wax pen, a marijuana cigar, a Flum Float vape, and the antidepressant duloxetine in the car.
“This isn’t like it was at 1 in the morning,” said the Price family’s lawyer, Matt Clark. “This was at a time of day when we should all feel safe on our roads.”
Reyad, of Bakersfield, was arrested May 23. He was been booked on second-degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, four counts of reckless driving, driving under the influence of a drug causing bodily injury, driving the wrong way on a divided highway causing injury or death, and other associated charges, according to court records.
When asked if he was speeding by an investigating officer while still in the hospital following the accident, the report said Reyad responded, “yeah, I was speeding a little bit, but I wasn't going like insanely. I wasn’t reckless."
A witness to the crash said she saw Reyad’s Dodge Charger “rapidly accelerating as it proceeded on Campus Park Drive,” shortly before the collision, according to the report. Another witness said she saw Reyad’s vehicle fail to stop at a stop sign prior to the crash.
