ARDEN HILLS, Minn. — A Minneapolis man is accused of being on a video call and driving drunk when he caused a crash that killed a New Brighton couple in Arden Hills last month.
The crash occurred on Friday, Feb 16. as 76-year-old Curtis O'Connor merged onto I-694 with his wife, 74-year-old Karin O'Connor.
Just a few days later, prosecutors charged Luis Eduardo Tipantuna Quinchiguano, of Minneapolis, with four counts of criminal vehicular homicide.
Officials said Quinchiguano was driving a 2008 Chevrolet Equinox erratically by changing lanes often without signaling and weaving through traffic around 8:45 a.m.
According to charging documents, Quinchiguano eventually crashed into a Chevy Malibu and pushed the car sideways into the left lane in front of an oncoming semi-truck.
Authorities said the semi broadsided the Malibu "at freeway speed," killing the O'Connors inside their car.
When officers came to the Equinox driven by Quinchiguano, they found "open bottles of alcohol" and said he "smelled of a strong odor of consumed alcoholic beverages," according to the criminal complaint.
Officers said Quinchiguano was unconscious and breathing. He didn't have "observable external injuries" and had urinated in his clothing. Prosecutors said Quinchiguano would regain consciousness but then quickly fall back to sleep.
They said he also strongly smelled of alcohol and his eyes were bloodshot and glassy, according to court documents.
Authorities said a paramedic expressed that Quinchiguano was so intoxicated that he would need to go to a hospital.
Officers gave him a preliminary alcohol screening test and it registered .218 BAC "on a very weak puff of breath," according to the complaint. The legal BAC limit is .08.
New court documents show the BCA tested Quinchiguano's blood and it registered .197 after the crash.
The court documents, which were released on Sunday, stated that "he and his brother were on WhatsApp video call when the crash occurred."
Authorities said the call lasted for 28 minutes. Charges allege Quinchiguano had also texted his brother just minutes after the crash, saying, "Ya me llevas por borrocha," which translates to, "You already take me for being drunk."
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