Firm offers condolences in van crash
Vehicle was stolen while idling and accident later killed two
The company that owned a van involved in a crash that killed an Albuquerque woman and her daughter expressed condolences to the family on Thursday, just days after a lawsuit was filed against the firm.
Thieves stole the van Jan. 18 and, minutes later, struck a car driven by Shaunna Arredondo-Boling, 39, fatally injuring her and her 14-year-old daughter, Shaylee Boling.
Arredondo-Boling’s 3-year-old son also was in the car and suffered a broken leg.
Family members filed a lawsuit last week against two people who allegedly stole the van, and an Albuquerque electric company that owned the van.
The lawsuit alleges that M. Electric Inc. and an employee were negligent for leaving the van running and unattended the morning it was stolen.
“We offer our condolences to the family, friends and members of the community who have been affected by these crimes,” the company said in a written statement issued Thursday.
“We view ourselves as victims too,” it said. “We have cooperated with law enforcement, in order that these two criminals be held responsible for causing the injuries and Shaylee and Shaunna’s deaths.”
Albuquerque police say that Paul Anthony Garcia, 24, and Elexus Groves, 21, stole the work van as it idled in a driveway about 6 a.m. and led police on a brief chase at speeds up to 75 mph in the minutes before it T-boned Arredondo-Boling’s vehicle.
Garcia and Groves each are charged with two counts of firstdegree murder, stealing a vehicle, fleeing law enforcement and other crimes. Both are identified as defendants in the lawsuit.
Details from a search warrant filed in the case show police believe Groves and Garcia were “heroin buddies” who were involved in another stolen car chase in Sandoval County before the Jan. 18 incident.
The pair “stole our van while our driver went inside his house to retrieve his lunch,” according to the company’s statement. The driver had been inside the house for less than a minute at the time of the theft, it said.
“We called 911 and advised the police of the exact location of the van,” it said. “Based upon this GPS information, Albuquerque Police Department found our van on Tramway and tried to stop it,” but the driver fled police.
The lawsuit, filed in 1st Judicial District Court in Santa Fe, identified as defendants both Miguel Silva, president of M. Electric, and the driver, Xavier Banda. It seeks undisclosed compensatory and punitive damages.
“Groves and Garcia should have been kept in jail,” the statement said. “We live and work in this community and are deeply troubled by these crimes and are committed to prevent such crimes from happening in our community.”