Two people were killed and 11 others injured when Pedro Quintana Lujanbe plowed his pickup truck through a large group of cyclists near Goodyear, Arizona on Saturday morning. No reason has been released and DUI hasn’t yet been reported as a factor. This remains a developing story.
Cyclist group tragedy
Police are giving 26-year-old Pedro Quintana-Lujan credit for at least sticking around for them to arrest him, instead of making them track him down.
After plowing his pickup truck through a group of avid cyclists, he’s currently charged with “2 counts of manslaughter, 3 counts of aggravated assault, 18 counts of endangerment, and 2 counts of causing serious injury or death by a moving violation.” Exactly what the moving violation is has not been revealed.
On Saturday morning, February 25, police responded to find one female cyclist dead at the scene. Another male member of the group died in the hospital. Eleven others “were treated for various injuries, including one victim who remains in life-threatening condition.”
Sadness for all the cyclists.. Praying for all of them…. relief they arrested the culprit.https://t.co/259nQ6t88c
— Shooter (@Syclonut) February 26, 2023
Following interrogation, Quintana-Lujan was arrested and booked at the Maricopa County Jail, “where he was being held Sunday on $250,000 bond pending a court hearing on Friday.”
While it may look like a restricted access freeway, the large concrete bridge allows Cotton Lane to span both the Gila river and MC85. It’s a rural location without excessive traffic and a great place for a cyclist route.
The group were well experienced and properly equipped with colorful clothes, reflectors and even lights for safety. While the possibility exists that this tragedy could have been intentional, police haven’t filed murder charges. That tends to indicated intoxicants were involved.
Cyclists were experienced
Brandon van Leuven happens to be a co-owner of Trek Bicycle Store of West Phoenix. He also knows some of the folks who were in the group of injured cyclists. The news on Saturday shattered his composure.
“The first thing I know is I’ve done that ride many times before.” He could have been with them. “Many of those people are my customers so obviously I’m very much concerned.”
These riders happen to be part of “the largest cyclist group in the valley, one that has held rides for more than ten years.” Van Leuven was personally acquainted with the woman who was killed, noting “she frequented his store a lot.”
BREAKING: Truck rams into numerous cyclists in Goodyear, Arizona; multiple injuries reportedpic.twitter.com/LkHgRuANYF
— Intel Point Alert (@IntelPointAlert) February 25, 2023
A friend who works at the store is “among those hurt and in a hospital with injuries.” Mr. van Leuven was “actually very surprised. Yes incidents do happen, but to hear the amount of people and when a car is involved it was pretty shocking, yeah.”
The group, he explains, is “always prepared while out for a ride and take extra precautions when it comes to safety.”
They get comments because the clothes they wear can be a little too bright. His friend in the hospital, for instance, “he religiously uses those lights so cars can see him from a distance.” Most of the group uses the lights.
