FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — A suspect in a fatal three-car crash that happened in late October took part in an initial court hearing Thursday morning.
Yar Ju, 28, faces charges of Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated Resulting in Death, a Level 4 felony; Reckless Homicide, a Level 5 felony; and two counts of Criminal Recklessness with a Deadly Weapon, which is a Level 6 felony.
On Oct. 24, police responded to a crash near the intersection of Paulding and Decatur roads after someone called dispatch to report a “bad accident,” according to court documents.
An officer arrived to find two people trapped inside one of the vehicles.
After further inspection, an officer noticed a “strong, almost overwhelming odor of an alcoholic beverage” coming from the vehicle, and police later identified Ju as the driver, according to court documents.
Both Ju and his passenger were taken to a hospital in critical condition, and the passenger later died, according to court documents.
Two other vehicles were involved in the crash, and police said at the time of the incident that Ju reportedly ran a red light while driving westbound on Paulding Road, hitting a truck heading southbound on Decatur Road in the process.
Police later said the force caused both vehicles to then hit another truck.
According to court documents, a woman involved in the crash said she noticed Ju’s car going “very fast” before the crash, and a witness who was stopped northbound on Decatur Road before the intersection believed Ju had been going “approximately 100 mph.”
Ju underwent a blood test while at the hospital, and he had a blood alcohol content of .340%, according to court documents.
Police also obtained surveillance video from a location east of where the crash occurred, and court documents say the video showed a vehicle that matched the description of the vehicle Ju was driving during the crash to be going at a “speed much faster than other motorists on Paulding Road” approximately one minute before the crash occurred.
Ju has another hearing set for Jan. 9.
