Suspect in deadly Lyft crash released

The driver accused of crashing into a Lyft car and killing its passenger is out on bond, records show.

Erik De Leon, 21, is facing two felony charges relating to the deadly March 1 crash, which left 40-year-old passenger Billy Satterfield dead and the driver, 29-year-old Ezatullah Safi, in critical condition.

De Leon told Houston police officers on scene that he had downed several tequila shots at a bar before allegedly T-boning the car near the intersection of Galveston Road and Pineloch Drive.

De Leon was hospitalized for some time after the crash and was never booked in jail, according to the Houston Police Department. Instead, he was released Wednesday from the hospital on a total $32,500 bond amount.

He is barred from driving and must submit monthly urinalyses. He is allowed to travel in Nueces and San Patricia counties, which is where he lives, according to court records.

He had a reported bloodalcohol content of .210 at the time of the crash, prosecutors said, which is more than twice the legal limit of .08.

While the suspect initially told Houston police officers he was at a bar called Bombshells before the crash, Sean Teare, head of the Harris County District Attorney’s Office Vehicular Crimes Division, said his office confirmed De Leon never set foot in the nearby Bombshells or Studio 80, a rebranded bar that locals call Bombshells.

Company officials also confirmed that information, saying they worked closely with investigators.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the victims of this tragic incident,” the company said in a press release.

However, Teare said prosecutors believe they know of two bars where De Leon was drinking immediately before the crash and are working to determine whether bartenders and employees followed proper procedures.

De Leon is facing up to 20 years in prison, if convicted.