Jean Soriano, 18, escaped from a youth guidance center in Santa Ana on March 1. On Saturday, March 30, Soriano was arrested after the SUV he was driving rear-ended a minivan carrying seven people, killing five.
The 18-year-old who was speeding told the arresting trooper he had "too many" beers before the crash, according to an arrest report. Several beer bottles were found in the SUV.
The facility, which treats drug and alcohol abusers, normally contacts the Orange County Sheriff's Department regarding escapees. Soriano, however, somehow slipped through the cracks and had not been named as a fugitive.
It took a week following the suspect's escape for officials to issue a warrant. Citing department records indicate the warrant, filed by the Orange County Sheriff's Department, was issued on March 8.
It was unclear whether authorities had been searching for Soriano before the Saturday collision on a freeway outside of Las Vegas.
Soriano faces five felony counts of DUI and two counts of inflicting bodily harm, plus two misdemeanor charges of driving without license and not slowing down. He is currently being held on $3.5 million bail and is due in court Wednesday. He has not yet been charged or entered a plea.
