Authorities in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, have charged Eri Perez with two counts of felony DUI resulting in death after a crash that killed two boys riding bicycles. A judge denied bond, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged a detainer seeking custody of Perez, whom the Department of Homeland Security described as a “gotaway.”
Authorities say a driver left the roadway and struck two children riding bicycles on a sidewalk in Spartanburg County, South Carolina, killing both boys.
The crash happened Sunday afternoon on Asheville Highway near Brock Street, according to reporting that cited the South Carolina Highway Patrol and the Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office. The victims were identified as 12-year-old Dereon James Robinson and 9-year-old Mikhail-Lee Smith.
Dereon’s mother was with the boys at the time and witnessed the collision, local reporting said. She told reporters the vehicle nearly hit her as well, and she tried to help the children, including performing CPR.
Eri Perez has been charged with two counts of felony DUI resulting in death, driving without a license, and an open container violation, according to local outlets citing investigators and jail records.
During a bond hearing Monday, the Seventh Circuit solicitor, Barry Barnette, said Perez was so intoxicated at the scene that a state trooper had to hold him up, and Barnette said Perez admitted he had been drinking throughout Saturday and Sunday. The judge denied bond after prosecutors argued Perez was a flight risk; the court also discussed an ICE detainer, according to coverage of the hearing.
Federal immigration authorities have also moved to take custody of Perez. ICE lodged a detainer requesting that local authorities transfer him to federal custody, and the Department of Homeland Security told The Daily Wire that Perez entered the United States unlawfully as a “gotaway,” though DHS did not provide a date for his entry.
Sophia Pagliuca, a family friend who said she lived with Dereon for years, called the boy’s death “preventable” in an interview with The Daily Wire, and urged changes to prevent similar tragedies.
