Teen's Life Hangs in Balance as Reckless DUI Crash Claims Two Lives in Bronzeville
A 19-year-old Chicago resident, Erick Garcia-Ambriz, is facing an uncertain future after being accused of killing two people in a gruesome crash involving drunk driving. The incident occurred on October 14, 2024, in the Bronzeville neighborhood when Garcia-Ambriz's black Infiniti Q50 collided with a silver Chevrolet at a red light.
The force of the impact was devastating, causing the Chevrolet to flip onto a sidewalk and land near the front doors of police headquarters. The two occupants of the vehicle, Kalieb Ghebreyesus, 45, from Des Plaines, and Shanika Smith, 45, from Chicago, were left unconscious with massive side-impact damage.
Ghebreyesus was pronounced dead at 1:46 a.m. after being taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, while Smith succumbed to her injuries at 1:51 a.m. at the same hospital. The cause of death for both victims is still pending investigation.
Garcia-Ambriz, who was driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content of 0.124%, above the legal limit, was arrested near his home on Tuesday. He now faces two counts of reckless homicide and two misdemeanor charges of aggravated DUI.
The teen's case will come before a judge on Wednesday for a pretrial detention hearing, where he may face additional charges or penalties if convicted. The incident has left the community shaken, with many calling for stricter enforcement of drunk driving laws to prevent such tragedies in the future.
Garcia-Ambriz's life is now hanging in the balance as his fate is decided by the court. His actions on that fateful night have put the lives of two innocent people at risk, and it remains to be seen how he will face justice for his reckless behavior behind the wheel.
A 19-year-old Chicago resident, Erick Garcia-Ambriz, is facing an uncertain future after being accused of killing two people in a gruesome crash involving drunk driving. The incident occurred on October 14, 2024, in the Bronzeville neighborhood when Garcia-Ambriz's black Infiniti Q50 collided with a silver Chevrolet at a red light.
The force of the impact was devastating, causing the Chevrolet to flip onto a sidewalk and land near the front doors of police headquarters. The two occupants of the vehicle, Kalieb Ghebreyesus, 45, from Des Plaines, and Shanika Smith, 45, from Chicago, were left unconscious with massive side-impact damage.
Ghebreyesus was pronounced dead at 1:46 a.m. after being taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, while Smith succumbed to her injuries at 1:51 a.m. at the same hospital. The cause of death for both victims is still pending investigation.
Garcia-Ambriz, who was driving under the influence with a blood-alcohol content of 0.124%, above the legal limit, was arrested near his home on Tuesday. He now faces two counts of reckless homicide and two misdemeanor charges of aggravated DUI.
The teen's case will come before a judge on Wednesday for a pretrial detention hearing, where he may face additional charges or penalties if convicted. The incident has left the community shaken, with many calling for stricter enforcement of drunk driving laws to prevent such tragedies in the future.
Garcia-Ambriz's life is now hanging in the balance as his fate is decided by the court. His actions on that fateful night have put the lives of two innocent people at risk, and it remains to be seen how he will face justice for his reckless behavior behind the wheel.
. It's just so senseless when you think about a young person like Erick Garcia-Ambriz, who was barely 19, making such reckless decisions that ended up taking two lives. You know, it's not just about the DUI charge, it's about how he chose to drink and drive in the first place. And now, his future is looking pretty uncertain 
. I'm all for second chances, but this is a huge wake-up call for him and the community to take drunk driving seriously and get their lives checked regularly. It's just not worth risking someone's life like that 
.
And then suddenly he's like, 2 lives away from death because of his own stupidity? 
What's the deal with that?! 
Like, we don't know all the facts about this guy, you know? 
We can't just judge him based on one crazy mistake.
Drunk driving is like, super obvious no-go, right? 
You gotta think about those around you, and he just put 2 innocent lives in danger. That's not okay, dude! 
Can't decide what to think about this whole thing...
or is it just a case of "what could've been" now that 2 lives are lost 
. We need to make sure that their deaths aren't in vain, we need to change the system so that something like this never happens again.
.
this is just devastating... 19 years old and he's facing a lifetime with 2 lives lost because of his reckless driving 
. I feel so bad for his family and friends who must be going through an unimaginable grief right now 
. Let's hope justice is served and he faces the consequences of his actions 
i've been waiting for ages and i'm so hyped! but anyway back to the news... i don't know about this dude's life hanging in balance tho like isn't he gonna get some help or somethin? 
... you gotta wonder what Erick was thinking driving with a b.a.c. of 0.124%... two families now dealing with the loss of their loved ones... 
... I mean, 2 counts of reckless homicide? That's some serious jail time 
. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the judge makes a tough decision and Garcia-Ambriz faces justice 
IF HE WAS DRIVING WITH A BAC OF 0.124%, HOW MANY OTHER LIVES COULD HAVE BEEN PUT AT RISK????? THE FACT THAT TWO INNOCENT PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES IS JUST TRAGIC!!!! 
I HOPE THE JUDGE IS STRONG AND HANDS DOWN THE HARSHEST SENTENCE POSSIBLE FOR THIS CRIME!!!! 
u can't even imagine driving drunk and killing ppl lol not on ur life 
the fact that hes underage makes it worst 19 yrs old already dealing with this kinda trouble 
hopefully he gets some serious time for his reckless behavior cuz two innocent lives lost is too much 