SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A night in April began with a teenage party. It ended with a high speed crash that left two kids dead and several others hurt.
Now, eight months later, a judge will decide whether the driver will be tried as an adult.
Damion Laurelez is now 18 years old, but was 17 at the time of the crash. He faces several charges including manslaughter, vehicular homicide and DWI.
On Tuesday morning, graphic video of the crash scene – from police body cameras – was shown in court. One of the first officers on scene said he remembers seeing the doors of the SUV were ripped off, and people had been ejected from the vehicle.
We also heard from two of the kids who were inside the Dodge Durango when it hit a house. One of the teenagers, said they’d been at a party where people were using marijuana and alcohol. He told the judge he recalls seeing Laurelez using both.
They later drove to a taco shop. On their way back, the teen said passengers told Laurelez to slow down, and he responded telling them to be quiet. The next thing the teen remembers is being airborne.
The SUV was near 18th Street and 2nd Avenue, when Steven Blumke said he saw it speed by.
“They were doing a hundred miles plus and hour and hit the dips right here in the road and they wiped out into the tree first and then into the house,” Blumke said in April, just days after the crash happened.
In court, Blumke said the next thing he remembers is trying to count how many kids were in the road. He said he was checking pulses and trying to help anyone he could.
Officer Manuel Bernal with the Sioux Falls Police Department also took the stand. He interviewed Laurelez in the hospital, just hours after the crash. He said Laurelez claimed he was going 20 miles per hour maximum, when he lost control and hit what he thought was a pole.
The hearing is scheduled to go through Friday. After hearing from attorneys and all of the witnesses, the judge will decide whether Laurelez will be tried as an adult or a juvenile.
