Teen in high speed crash had never driven in U.S.
Nov 16, 2012, 8:24 AM | Updated: 10:08 am
A 19-year-old student driving a new luxury car is accused in a high speed crash in a Des Moines neighborhood that severely injured several people.
A 25-year-old woman was driving four relatives to a birthday party Saturday when she was broadsided by a new Mercedes that ran a stop sign. A witness estimated it was going 70 miles per hour on a road posted with a speed limit of 40, according charging documents filed by the King County Prosecutor.
The woman and her 14-year-old brother suffered traumatic brain injuries in the crash. Other passengers suffered broken bones.
Prosecutors say Chinese national Yichun Xu was carrying four passengers, none were seriously hurt. Xu was a student at Puget Sound Community College and had been in the country for two months. He’s detained on an immigration hold for failing to properly fill out student paperwork, according to the prosecutor.
A judge set bail at $1 million. Xu is charged with four counts of vehicular assault.
The prosecutor says Xu didn’t have a driver’s license and admitted later he had never driven in the United States.
