Miami teen who crashed mom’s SUV at 111 mph, killing four, agrees to 14-year sentence

Charles Rabin
·3 min read
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A teen with a learner’s permit who rocketed his mom’s SUV into a much smaller car at 111 miles per hour, killing four people, accepted a plea deal this week that will land him in prison for 14 years.

The early morning New Year’s 2021 accident was so so violent that both cars — a Chevy Tahoe driven by 16-year-old Alex Garcia and the Hyundai Elantra his SUV struck — skidded more than 300 feet. A passenger in the Hyundai was catapulted through the front window — despite wearing a seatbelt. The accident not only outraged family members of the victims, it’s recklessness convinced a judge to make the unusual decision of keeping the teen behind bars before the trial.

Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Lody Jean determined that Garcia, who had no criminal history, remained a “danger to the community.”

Killed in the crash were Florida International University senior Yuhlia Gelats, 21, her boyfriend Christian Mohip, 22, and their friends, Andreas Zacharias and Jenser Salazar, both 21. Gelats had been chosen as the designated driver that morning. Garcia and his two friends in the Chevy SUV survived.

From left to right: Yuhlia Gelats, 21, Christian Mohip, 22, Andreas Zacharias, 21, and Jenser Salazar, 21. The four were killed when the car they were in was hit by an SUV doing 111 miles per hour on Flagler Street more than two years ago. This week, the driver of the SUV, who was 16 at the time, agreed to a 14 year prison sentence.
From left to right: Yuhlia Gelats, 21, Christian Mohip, 22, Andreas Zacharias, 21, and Jenser Salazar, 21. The four were killed when the car they were in was hit by an SUV doing 111 miles per hour on Flagler Street more than two years ago. This week, the driver of the SUV, who was 16 at the time, agreed to a 14 year prison sentence.

Prosecutors said Garcia had been drinking and smoking weed before the accident, though a test taken two hours after the crash showed an alcohol level below the legal limit and it was impossible to determine when he had been smoking marijuana.

As part of the agreement reached this week, Garcia will also serve two years of house arrest after prison and eight years of probation.

Garcia had been charged with four counts of vehicular homicide, four counts of DUI manslaughter and two counts of serious bodily injury. After the crash, he spent three weeks in juvenile detention, then was transported to the Turner Guilford Knight correction center after it was determined he would be tried as an adult. He lost an appeal for release and has been in jail since early February 2021.

Prosecutors said Garcia and friends were playing video games at his house before he took the SUV some time after 3 a.m., to drive two friends home. Hurtling along West Flagler Street at up to 111 mph, the vehicle caught the attention of Miami-Dade Police Officer Britney Lozado, who was driving on Flagler in the opposite direction. She made a U-turn and tried to stop the truck as it sped through the 79th Avenue intersection.

Realizing there was nothing she could do for the victims in the Hyundai, Lozado, who heard the crash, ran to the Tahoe and found Garcia and his two passengers still inside. Her body worn camera recorded Garcia apologizing to his friends and a passenger calling him a “dumbass.”

During a pre-trial hearing, the lead investigator in the case, Florida Highway Patrol Cpl. Christine Gracey, said Garcia’s mother showed up at the crash site and admitted giving her son keys to the SUV.

“She said she provided the keys so he could sit in the car and listen to music,” Gracey said.