SAN DIEGO—A man who crashed a car while fleeing from Border Patrol agents near the Thousand Trails campground, killing one of his migrant passengers, was sentenced Feb. 3 to more than four years in federal prison.
Kevin Antonio Quevedo-Moncada, 23, of Lake Forest crashed into a tree after speeding away from Border Patrol agents just before 6 p.m., Dec. 25, 2021.
According to prosecutors, the defendant picked up three people who entered the U.S. illegally near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.
After Border Patrol agents attempted to stop his car near the Thousand Trails campground, Quevedo-Moncada drove off “rapidly and erratically” through the campground and struck a Border Patrol agent’s vehicle.
Prosecutors allege he was driving up to 93 miles per hour during the ensuing pursuit.
Quevedo-Moncada lost control of the car and crashed down an embankment and into a tree off Otay Lakes Road.
One of his passengers, 52-year-old Gaudencio Gerardo Luna-Vasquez, died at the scene, while two others were hospitalized with critical injuries.
After the crash, Quevedo-Moncada climbed out of the car through the front windshield and fled, but was arrested, prosecutors say.
Court documents state he was to be paid $2,000 for the endeavor and had previously transported people who had entered the U.S. illegally.
A sentencing memorandum from his defense attorney stated Quevedo-Moncada began taking part in smuggling due to his family’s dire financial situation. He told investigators that upon encountering a Border Patrol vehicle, one of the passengers told him to “Go, go, go!” and while in a panic, he sped off.
He pleaded guilty last year to federal charges stemming from the fatal wreck and was sentenced Friday to 51 months in custody.
