Nevada man arrested in Tempe after street race ended with deadly crash and car split in half | Crime Files
TEMPE, Ariz. - Court documents are providing additional details on a crash over the Thanksgiving weekend that killed two people.
According to the documents, the man was arrested early Saturday morning by Tempe Police officials.
Here are the details on what happened.
Who's the suspect?
Derek Charles Franklin Glasscock
Court documents identified the suspect as Derek Charles Franklin Glasscock.
The suspect, according to court documents, lives in Las Vegas.
What happened?
The incident, according to court documents, began to unfold at around 1:36 a.m. on Nov. 25, when Tempe Police tried to stop a Ford Mustang in the area of Rural Road and Terrace.
The Mustang in question, according to investigators, was seen taking part in a street race with another vehicle. Speed reportedly reached in excess of 100 mph (~160.9 km/h) in an area where the maximum speed was 35 mph (~56.3 km/h).
"The Ford Mustang fled from police and a pursuit was not initiated. Shortly after the Ford Mustang fled from police, a cloud of smoke was seen rising into the air," read a portion of the court documents. "It was discovered the same blue Ford Mustang had crashed on the east side of Rural Road, south of Broadway Road."
Court documents contained graphic descriptions of the crash. Officials said the vehicle Glasscock was driving may have reached speeds of 153 mph (~246.2 km/h) before Glasscock lost control, citing calculations made by investigators. The vehicle, investigators claim, went airborne after leaving the roadway, and collided with a power pole and two palm trees.
In our initial report, it was stated that the vehicle was split in half as a result of the crash.
Glasscock, according to investigators, was pinned inside the car following the crash. Besides Glasscock, there was a man and a woman inside the vehicle. Both were ejected from the vehicle, and the man was declared dead at the scene by first responders. The woman, meanwhile, was taken to the hospital, where she later died.
While court documents did not identify the victims, Tempe Police officials released a statement on Nov. 27 that identifed the female victim as 31-year-old Maria Rangel, and the male victim as 32-year-old Jesse Ruiz.
In court documents, investigators state the two victims were involved in a relationship, and were living together.
What happened after the crash?
Court documents state that when officers made contact with Glasscock, he "repeatedly made spontaneous statements indicating he should not have been driving, and that he had been drinking alcohol."
A search warrant, according to court documents, was served on Glasscock while he was at the hospital, and a blood sample was drawn.
"Glasscock admitted to having two whiskey mixed drinks between [10:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m.]. Glasscock could not remember leaving Sun Bar, and stated the last thing he remembered was being inside his car after the crash. Glasscock also did not remember if anyone else was with him in the car, but stated he had met with friends at Sun Bar," read a portion of the court documents.
Glasscock was taken to the Tempe City Jail after he was released from the hospital, according to court documents.
What is the suspect accused of?
Glasscock, according to court documents, is accused of two counts of reckless manslaughter (A.R.S. 13-1103A1), which is a Class 2 Felony.
A judge has set a $20,000 secured appearance bond for Glasscock, and should he make the bond, he will be subjected to a number of restrictions, including a ban on alcohol possession or consumption, along with alcohol testing and monitoring.
A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 5.