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2 dead after crash in Largo, driver charged
Aaron Mesmer reports.
LARGO, Fla. - The man accused of driving more than twice the speed limit when he ran a red light and crashed into a car, killing two people, is now in jail, Largo Police said Tuesday.
Investigators said Ilia Andoni, 33, was traveling at 92 miles per hour in a 45 mile-per-hour zone on East Bay Drive January when he collided with a vehicle that heading along Starkey Road Jan. 28. The accident killed Paulino Trejo-Mendoza, 26, and Ariadna Sanchez Monrroy, 22.
Andoni survived and was eventually released from the hospital.
Courtesy: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office
"Upon developing probable cause on the afternoon of February 5th and after speaking with the State Attorney's Office, officers of the Largo and Clearwater Police Departments took Andoni into custody without incident," police said in a news release.
His arrest comes after a week-long investigation into the deadly crash.
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"He should have been taken to jail right then and there," said Olivia Mendoza-Perez, Paulino's mother, through a translator. "He had a lot of plans to be happy forever, to be with us and take care of us. And for them to have taken his life like that is unfair."
Trejo-Mendoza's parents spoke to FOX 13 from the scene of the crash, which now includes a large memorial for the victims.
"My heart's very broken by what happened in our life. I can't find the words to tell my family that everything is fine, when it's not true," added Catarino Trejo, who also spoke through a translator.
Paulino was born and raised in Clearwater and graduated from Clearwater High School. Monroy, a lawyer from Mexico, was visiting family in the area for the next two weeks.
"One decision took two amazing lives away," said Paulino's sister, Magali Trejo-Mendoza.
Andoni is charged with two counts of vehicular homicide.