By Francesca Block and Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Des Moines Register
Police have made an arrest in what Des Moines city officials called a “senseless and selfish” crash Tuesday night that killed a 4-year-old boy and left three people critically injured.
Robert Miller III, 35, of Urbandale, was driving north in a 2022 Genesis sedan at more than 100 mph on Fleur Drive before crossing over the median and entering the southbound lanes, Sgt. Paul Parizek said in a Thursday release from the Des Moines Police Department.
Police have charged Miller, who is listed in Polk County inmate records as Robert Lee Miller, with two counts of vehicular homicide, one for reckless driving and the other for drag racing. He has also been charged with serious injury by vehicle for driving recklessly, drag racing, reckless driving, failure to maintain control and excessive speed.
Witnesses told Des Moines police that before the crash, two vehicles were “street-racing” in the northbound lanes of Fleur Drive around 6 p.m. Tuesday. Police are still trying to identify the driver of the second vehicle, described as a dark-colored SUV, who police say continued north on Fleur Drive after the crash.
Those injured include a 38-year-old woman and 8-year-old boy from Norwalk who were traveling in a 2016 Honda Accord with the 4-year-old who died. A 40-year-old woman who was driving a Chevrolet Equinox also sustained injuries.
It was the 20th traffic-related fatality of 2022 in Des Moines.
Miller did not suffer any serious injuries in the crash, police said.
A jury previously found Miller guilty of three counts of first-degree robbery in 2006. Court records indicate he also has a history of driving without his license or driving while his license has been suspended, revoked or cancelled.
Family of 4-year-old mourns loss
Wilbert Faguada identified the 4-year-old victim as his son, Marcos, saying he was a “beautiful, joyful, loving soul.”
“He did not deserve this,” Faguada said in a Facebook post about his son. “We are devastated and heartbroken.”
His family described the 4-year-old as always running around having fun and saying the funniest things.
“We’ve lost such a beautiful life that really deserved to live and flourish,” his aunt Brenda Vasquez told the Des Moines Register. “I’m taking solace in the fact that his pain is over, but I also want him back.”
An online fundraiser organized by the family of those injured had raised more than $40,000 by Friday afternoon.
Francesca Block is a breaking news reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at@francescablock3.
Facebook Comments