ALBUQUERQUE, NM — An 18-year-old driver is facing homicide by vehicle and DWI-related charges after a rollover crash on Interstate 40 left an 11-year-old dead and sent several people to the hospital, according to New Mexico State Police and court documents.
Investigators say Malachi Velasquez-McCormick told officers he had been drinking beer and used a cannabis wax pen before the collision early Saturday near Unser Boulevard. Court records also say he was traveling eastbound at 85 miles per hour when his car and a Chevrolet SUV crashed and rolled over.
Court records say the driver admitted drinking and using cannabis
Authorities say Velasquez-McCormick spoke to officers about what he had consumed before the wreck. The records say he told police he drank beer and hit a cannabis wax pen before getting behind the wheel.
The account is central to the case because it comes alongside the physical evidence officers say they found in his vehicle. Police reported multiple open containers of alcohol in the gray Dodge passenger car Velasquez-McCormick was driving.
The combination of the admissions and the open containers helped frame the arrest that followed once he was released from the hospital.
High speed on I-40 led to a two-vehicle rollover near Unser Boulevard
According to court documents, the crash happened on eastbound I-40 near Unser Boulevard after Velasquez-McCormick was driving at 85 mph. The Dodge and the Chevrolet SUV collided, and both vehicles rolled over.
The scene involved multiple people in each vehicle. New Mexico State Police said Velasquez-McCormick had three passengers in his car, while the Chevrolet carried three passengers as well.
Authorities have not publicly detailed the sequence that led to the impact, but the rollover nature of the crash made the injuries and damage significant enough to require hospital transport for everyone involved.
11-year-old in the SUV died after the rollover crash
The most serious outcome was the death of an 11-year-old passenger in the Chevrolet SUV. Police said the child was killed in the crash.
The extent of injuries to the other passengers and to Velasquez-McCormick remains unknown. State police said all of the injured people were taken to an area hospital after the collision.
With one child dead and others hospitalized, the crash immediately became a fatal traffic case under investigation by state authorities.
Police say seven people were taken to a hospital
New Mexico State Police said seven people total were transported to a hospital after the collision: Velasquez-McCormick, his three passengers, and the three passengers riding in the Chevrolet SUV.
Officials have not said how serious the injuries were for the other six people. The only confirmed fatality is the 11-year-old passenger in the SUV.
Because the case involved multiple vehicles and numerous occupants, investigators were left to sort out both the crash dynamics and the impairment allegations before filing charges.
Homicide by vehicle and DWI charges followed his hospital release
After leaving the hospital, Velasquez-McCormick was arrested and booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque. Police said he faces homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, aggravated DWI with bodily injury, reckless driving and open container charges.
The charges reflect both the fatal outcome and the alleged alcohol-related impairment. They also show that officers are treating the crash as more than a traffic collision, with criminal allegations tied to the driving behavior reported before impact.
State police have not said whether additional charges are possible as the investigation continues.
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