Loved ones remember Palm Desert woman killed in DUI crash, suspect charged with murder

Loved ones are remembering Palm Desert resident Sara Ahmadie, 36, who was killed in deadly crash earlier this month.

26-year-old Alberto Lopez of Coachella is suspected of driving under the influence at a high rate of speed when he crashed into the Ahmadie's car. Lopez has been charged with murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

It happened on Friday January 13th, around 2:30am at the intersection of Country Club Drive and Cook Street.

Ahamadie was a few blocks away from her apartment when the deadly collision happened.

Authorities say she was stopped at a red light, when Lopez crashed into her going more than 100mph.

“I get like, PTSD back into that moment, and I like relive it. And I, that's like a moment I can't get over,” said Khaled Darweesh, who was best friends with Ahmadie.

Darweesh and Ahmadie lived in the same apartment complex and have known each other for 10 years.

“And then we became really close over the last five years in 2018. I went to her apartment, then I got her the job with me and we've just been really close since then.”

The two of them would call each other every day. Even if there was nothing to say, Darweesh tells us it was just about knowing they were there for each other.

“We would talk every day on the phone... we would always meet up, you know, we would go out. She loved to live.”

He says Ahmadie was ambitious and a hard worker.

“She was just a great person. She was a hustler. She had so many plans," he explained. "They say like, the good die young, and she was really as good as they came. She was a really good person.”

Darweesh said she would always go out of her way for others, especially her mother.

“She loved her mother. You know, that's who she really cared about the most was her mom. She lived with her mom her whole life.”

Darweesh says that although he wants justice for his best friend, he says her life was taken way too soon.

“I just feel like he deserves to be locked up for good, so another family doesn’t have to go through this," he said. "But yeah, nothing will bring her back. You know? That's it. She's gone.”

Ahmadie’s family is advocating for safer streets, like more DUI checkpoints to catch dangerous drivers.