LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The teen driver accused in a deadly 12-car crash Tuesday night admitted to smoking marijuana beforehand, according to an arrest report obtained Thursday.
Around 3:29 p.m., LVMPD officers responded to the area of Cheyenne and Jones and discovered multiple vehicles involved in the collision (later confirmed to be 12), one of which was one fire.
LVMPD previously reported that medical crews immediately began treating multiple people on scene. The arrest report states that medical crews immediately approached a woman lying the roadway after being ejected during the crash.
The woman was later identified as Adilene Duran-Ricon, the first death reported on scene. She was the girlfriend and passenger of the accused driver, Jose Gutierrez.
Medical crews then turned towards another man in a Subaru, later identified as Edward Garcia. After being removed from the vehicle and placed in an ambulance, the man was also pronounced dead at UMC.
Initial investigation found that Gutierrez was driving a Infinti G-37 at an extremely high rate of speed and failed to yield, crashing into multiple vehicles stopped at a red light. Witnesses told police that at one point, it seemed Gutierrez was going at least 100 mph in a posted 45 speed zone.
One white Nissan Altima was “catapulted in a northeasterly direction,” the report stated.
The driver of that Altima, Jose Pena-Dominiguez, was transported to a hospital with substantial injuries, including a lacerated liver. The passenger of the Altima, Vanessa Lainez-Vasquez, was also taken to UMC with life-threatening injuries.
Gutierrez was also among the multiple victims transported to the hospital in the aftermath of the crash. While at UMC, he initially told police that he was driving but later denied it, before changing his story again and confirming that he was driving.
When asked if he had consumed alcohol before the crash, Gutierrez denied it but admitted to smoking marijuana beforehand. The officer also noted in the report that Gutierrez’s eyes were “bloodshot and watery.”
The arrest report states that two blood draws were taken while Gutierrez was at UMC but results are pending.
A vape pen was later found by crime scene analysts in the pocket of Gutierrez’s clothing, which was removed as he arrived at the hospital.
Gutierrez stated he did not remember the crash.
Last month, court records also show that Gutierrez was cited for going 52 mpg in a posted 35 mph zone.
Gutierrez is expected to appear in court on Friday, facing new murder charges.
Copyright 2025 KVVU. All rights reserved.
