A man who drove under the influence and fled from police, causing the deaths of a woman and her 4-year-old daughter, was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in state prison.
Erick Arambula, 25, pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of DUI and evading authorities for the crash that killed Courteney Taylor, 29, and her daughter Amaya Taylor on April 23, 2023.
Prosecutors say Arambula fled from state Fish and Wildlife officers on Old Highway 395 in Fallbrook just prior to the fatal crash, which happened around 3:15 p.m.
Shortly after police terminated the high-speed pursuit, Arambula’s pickup veered off Old Highway 395 and into the southbound lanes of Interstate 15, where it crashed head-on into Taylor’s car, prosecutors said.
Both victims died at the scene. Arambula’s truck crashed into another vehicle, injuring those occupants.
A GoFundMe page created last year by Taylor’s family read, “Everyone who has ever met Courteney has known her as a living angel. Amaya was our family’s guiding light.”