Accused drunken driver in California crash was deported 15 times

LOS ANGELES: A Mexican national charged in a San Diego, California, car crash that badly injured a 6-year- old boy was in the country illegally and had been deported at least 15 times, US immigration officials said on Wednesday.

Constantino Banda-Acosta was taken into custody by US Customs and Border Protection agents about a mile from the two- car collision that took place at about 11.30pm on Saturday in the San Ysidro neighborhood of San Diego, near the border with Mexico.

Banda-Acosta, 38, has been charged with hit-and-run causing great bodily injury, driving under the influence of alcohol and driving without a license. Local media reported that he pleaded not guilty during a brief initial court appearance on Wednesday.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement that it has lodged a detainer against Banda-Acosta seeking to take him into custody if and when he is released by local authorities.

“Department of Homeland Security databases indicate Mr. Banda-Acosta has been repatriated to Mexico at least 15 times since 2002, most recently in January 2017,” ICE said in the statement.

A San Diego County public defender who represented Banda- Acosta at the court hearing on Wednesday could not be reached by Reuters for comment. A jail website listed Banda-Acosta as being held in lieu of a 230,000 bond.

According to the Border Patrol, Banda-Acosta was arrested after agents who came across the crash found him and a passenger in a damaged Chevrolet pick-up truck that matched the description of the vehicle involved. — Reuters