ESCONDIDO, Calif. (KGTV) — Escondido Police say they've arrested one person in connection with a fatal collision that left four people dead last month.
Police obtained an arrest warrant for 28-year-old Ashley Rene Williams, of Escondido, on Thursday and took her into custody at her home. Williams has been charged with four counts of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
Williams is accused of being behind the wheel of a 2014 Mazda 3 that struck and killed four people at San Pasqual Valley Rd. at Oak Hill Dr. just before 8:30 p.m. on May 5, police said.
Police say Williams' vehicle was traveling northbound when it hit the group, which included a 33-year-old man, 11-year-old boy, 50-year-old woman, and 10-year-old boy.
Police told 10News the boys are brothers and the female victim was their grandmother. The man was believed to have been dating the children's mother, according to police. A GoFundMe campaign for funeral expenses is currently running to help the family.
Williams was hospitalized with minor injuries after the crash and initially, police told 10News that alcohol or drugs were not believed to have been a factor.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles says Williams was driving on a suspended license during the crash. Her driver’s license was suspended on Feb. 18, 2020, for driving with excessive blood alcohol, according to the DMV. The agency added that she was also involved in a non-alcohol related crash on Dec. 16, 2019.
