Last Updated on June 18, 2020 by CCAR Staff
MENIFEE — A 25-year-old man suspected of causing a crash in Menifee that killed a man and injured two others, including his infant son, because he allegedly was speeding while drunk at the wheel was being held Wednesday on $1 million bail.
Bryant Martinez Colin of Murrieta was arrested and booked into the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta on Tuesday on suspicion of second-degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence resulting in injuries, child endangerment and driving on a suspended license.
According to the California Highway Patrol, Colin was going south on the 215 Freeway in his 2014 Toyota Tacoma pickup at about 8:40 p.m. Tuesday, passing the Newport Road exit in excess of the 65 mph speed limit when he encountered slowing traffic.
Officer Mike Lassig said Colin was in the fast lane, and a 22-year-old woman at the wheel of a 2004 Honda Accord began braking in front of him when other motorists slowed down.
“(Colin) failed to apply his brakes as he approached the rear of the Honda,” Lassig said. “His failure to stop behind the Honda caused the front of the pickup to collide into the rear of the car. The force of the impact pushed the sedan forward and (it) collided with the rear of a 2017 Ford Fusion.”
The collision left 26-year-old Nyrik Anderson of Menifee with catastrophic injuries, according to Lassig. The victim was taken to Inland Valley Regional Medical Center in Wildomar, where he died less than an hour later. He was a passenger in the Honda.
The woman driving the Honda suffered moderate injuries and was treated at the same hospital, while the suspect’s seven-month-old son suffered minor injuries and was sent to Rancho Springs Medical Center for treatment. The 36-year-old man driving the Ford was not hurt.
Lassig described the crash as “100 percent avoidable” and illustrative of the serious consequences stemming from impaired driving.
“It’s a tragedy to lose a life over something so simple to avoid,” he said.
