Teen driver of stolen car facing manslaughter charges

Update: The two teenagers killed in the crash have been identified asAndres Romo, 18, of La Quinta, who was pronounced dead at 6:38 p.m. at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, and Luis Torres, 17, of Indio, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 16-year-old driver of a stolen car is facing vehicular manslaughter charges following a high speed crash in the Indio Hills that killed two passengers.

The un-licensed driver is the only person in the car to walk away from the crash without serious injury.

With few intersections and no stop signs or red lights for miles, cars whiz by on Dillon Road in the Indio Hills.

There is little traffic in the remote area of the desert, south of Berdoo Canyon Road, where the tragic accident happened Tuesday afternoon.

Skid marks cut across the two lane road, starting at the top of one of many dips along Dillon Road. They run the length of a football field down to where the stolen 2013 Hyundai Genesis ran off the road and flipped over several times.

“During the overturning of the vehicle, the three rear passengers were ejected from the vehicle. None of which were wearing their seat belts,” said California Highway Patrol Spokesman, Michael Radford.

Bits of glass and debris remain scattered along the roadside. The broken pieces a symbol of the lives that were shattered. One Indio boy ejected from the car died on scene. Eighteen year old Andres Romo of La Quinta was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center where he died soon after the single-vehicle crash.

“The other two passengers were seriously injured, and the driver sustained minor injuries,” Radford said. “The driver was arrested and is going to be facing charges of vehicular manslaughter.”

The name of the 16-year-old driver from Indio is being withheld because he is under age. He did not have a license and admits driving up to 100 miles per hour in a Hyundai authorities say was stolen from Indio sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning.

A seat belt appears to have saved the driver’s life.

“That’s why we’re out there actively enforcing the seat belt laws. It’s really to save lives,” Radford said. “It’s very important for people to wear their seat belt every single time they are in the vehicle.”