Albuquerque man accused in drunken-driving crash that killed friend

May 22—Prosecutors are trying to keep a man behind bars after he allegedly killed his friend in a drunken driving crash earlier this month on the West Side.

Alejandro Gonzalez, 23, is charged with DWI-related vehicular homicide in the May 13 crash that left Pablo Antillon, 22, dead and others injured.

Gonzalez is also charged with negligent use of a deadly weapon due to having a handgun in the car while intoxicated. He is behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center.

Gonzalez's attorney declined to comment Wednesday.

Prosecutors filed a motion Tuesday to keep Gonzalez behind bars until trial, saying he was "solely responsible for the wreck that killed his friend."

"It is sad to contemplate the needless death of someone; but it is also a sign of how dangerous (Gonzalez) is," according to the motion.

New Mexico State Police responded around 2:15 a.m. to a crash on westbound Interstate 40, just west of Coors, and found one car crashed off the right shoulder.

A witness told police he saw the Corvette speeding with its lights off and was going "to call 911 as a drunk buster," when the Corvette rear-ended the other car and went over the side of the road, according to the complaint.

Police spotted an orange Corvette down the hill with Gonzalez and Antillon lying beside it, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. Gonzalez had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and smelled of alcohol.

Police said Gonzalez initially told them he wasn't driving. He later said he was driving but wasn't speeding and couldn't remember how the crash occurred.

"(Gonzalez) also mentioned that he knew he was not OK to drive but claimed he was more sober than (Antillon)," according to the complaint.

Police said Gonzalez told them he had drunk three shots of vodka before getting behind the wheel. Gonzalez took a breathalyzer and blew above the presumed level of intoxication.

The Albuquerque Police Department told State Police they tried to stop the car earlier, when it was "doing doughnuts and burnouts" Downtown, but the driver fled.

Police said Gonzalez told them he didn't know why he fled from officers earlier and "just made a stupid decision." He also told police there was a gun in the car, and an officer found it on the passenger's side floorboard.

Antillon was initially hospitalized with a broken neck and was declared brain-dead at the hospital, according to the complaint.