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Suspicion of DUI For Driver in Deadly Ocotillo Motorcycle Crash

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The driver of a Dodge Avenger that swerved into a group of 21 motorcyclists on Saturday in Ocotillo, killing five people, has been arrested on suspicion of DUI. 36-year-old Carlos Ramirez Bobadilla of Mexicali, Mexico, was arrested after CHP officers smelled alcohol on his breath, reports KTLA. Blood test results are pending.

The crash happened on Route 98 in Ocotillo, 80 miles from San Diego near the U.S.-Mexico border around 1 p.m. on Saturday. A gold Honda Accord, going an estimated 95 miles per hour, attempted to pass a dozen motorcyclists on the two-lane highway, forcing the driver in the oncoming car to swerve and lose control, hitting 12 members of the Saddletramps motorcycle club, according to Imperial County fire Captain Peter Stanton.

Carlos Ramirez Bobadilla is not being held responsible for the deaths based on evidence collected, including his speedometer, found stuck below the speed limit at 60 mph. The driver of the gold Honda Accord did not stop, and is still at large.

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