DISCOVERY BAY — A boy who allegedly crashed into a security booth, killing one security guard and badly injuring another, later told police that he had exhausted himself at the gym that night, authorities said.
The 17-year-old Discovery Bay resident allegedly veered off the road, traveling about 100 yards through grass before colliding with a security booth outside The Lakes gated community. A security guard, identified as 62-year-old Rene Bucaro, of Oakley, was killed, and a second guard was injured. The crash occurred a few minutes before midnight on the night of Dec. 6, authorities said.
The boy claimed that he had fallen asleep behind the wheel, though police say he was going an estimated 80 to 90 miles per hour at the time of the crash. He had a provisional license that said he couldn’t drive between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., authorities said.
Before the collision, the teen ran a stop sign about 100 yards away from the booth. He told police that he was jolted awake when the car started shaking but couldn’t prevent the crash, authorities said.
The boy was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, but it’s unclear if criminal charges have yet been filed. He has not been charged with adult court, and authorities can’t comment on juvenile case filings. Authorities said in the immediate aftermath of the crash that they’d ruled out alcohol or drugs as a factor, but that the teen’s unsafe driving appeared to have caused the wreck.
The investigation was aided by video taken from another driver, who was inside his Tesla — equipped with a camera that police later accessed — and watched the teen zip by in a Hyundai, according to police.
The boy had been working out at a nearby 24-Hour fitness and left at around 11:20 p.m. He told investigators that he knew he would have a hard time staying awake behind the wheel when he left, authorities said.