LAS VEGAS (FOX5) -
A driver arrested after a deadly car crash told police he had been drinking at a nearby casino and that another vehicle cut him off causing him to lose control of the vehicle.
In an arrest report released Friday, Las Vegas Metro police said 21-year-old Ralph Corpuz was booked on a charge of driving under the influence resulting in the death of 19-year-old Leo Bernard Roybal III.
The single-vehicle accident happened on Alta Drive near Joe Willis Street about 3:21 a.m. Thursday.
According to police, the Ford Mustang driven by Corpuz was heading westbound on Alta at a high rate of speed when, after coming over the crest of a hill, it lost control.
The car struck a median, continued through it, struck a tree on its right side and continued on to eastbound lanes where it came to rest.
First responding medical personnel said the driver was standing outside the vehicle when they arrived. A passenger was pinned inside the vehicle and unresponsive.
When questioned by police, Corpuz told officers he was cut off by a black vehicle when he lost control of the Mustang. A later investigation showed the Ford was the only vehicle involved, according to the arrest report.
After an officer noticed an alcoholic odor on him, Corpuz told police he had been at the Suncoast Casino drinking three Coors Light beers and that he last drank about two hours before the incident.
Corpuz failed several sobriety tests, including a breath test that indicated he was blowing over the legal limit.
Both the driver and the passenger were transported to University Medical Center. Roybal was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Corpuz was released from treatment and taken into police custody.
He is being held at Clark County Detention Center on the felony DUI charge.
Stay tuned to FOX5 for the latest on this developing story.
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Ralph Corpuz (LVMPD)
Police said Corpuz was behind the wheel of a Mustang that plowed through a median. (Armando Navarro/FOX5)
