Riverside man charged with murder in death of 8-year-old boy killed in head-on crash

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (KABC) -- A man has been arrested in the death of an 8-year-old boy who was killed in a head-on crash in Riverside last year.

Andres Laris, 23, of Riverside, was taken into custody Thursday and is charged with second-degree murder and three counts of driving violations that resulted in great bodily injury.

Note: The video in the media player above is from a previous report.

Laris is accused of driving his Honda vehicle over 100 mph while under the influence of marijuana and crashing into a Nissan, killing 8-year-old Obed Liam Barbosa Carbajal and injuring his three siblings.

Critically injured in the collision were Obed's then-25-year-old sister, Kially Carbajal, and his two siblings, 16-year-old Mario and 10-year-old Kiara.

The crash happened near Arlington and Stover avenues around 7:30 a.m. on May 16, 2023.

Laris was traveling westbound on Arlington when he lost control of his Honda and veered into the opposite lanes, colliding head-on into Carbajal's car, according to Riverside police.

Laris was allegedly traveling over 100 mph at the time of the crash. A toxicology report detected cannabis in his blood, police said.

Riverside police said investigators decided to pursue a murder charge based on the defendant's prior conduct, which included two speeding citations, one of which led to his taking an online traffic safety course that warned "speeding is dangerous because it increases the risk of a crash and decreases the time the driver has to react to avoid a collision."

Laris is slated to be arraigned Monday afternoon at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

City News Service contributed to this report.