The suspect who crashed into a vehicle occupied by Cooper Lamb, the son of Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, is facing manslaughter charges, authorities said Friday.
Brian Alexander Torres was arrested in connection with the deaths of Cooper Lamb, his infant daughter, and the infant’s mother, Caroline Patten.
The Gilbert Police Department submitted charges to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office (MCAO) related to the fatal collision investigation on Elliot Road and Cole Drive from December 16, 2022.
The investigation revealed on the afternoon of December 16, the 21-year-old Torres was traveling westbound on East Elliot Road in a Chevrolet Silverado when he struck a maroon Toyota Corolla as it attempted to turn left from eastbound Elliot Road onto north Cole Drive.
The Toyota was driven by the 20-year-old Patten and was occupied by Lamb in the front passenger seat and their eleven-month-old infant daughter in a car seat located in the rear passenger seat. Life-saving measures at the scene were, unfortunately, unsuccessful. Lamb and his daughter were pronounced deceased on-scene, and Patten passed away from her injuries six days later.
Through the analysis of evidence collected in the investigation, it was learned that Torres was traveling at a high rate of speed on Elliot Road at the time of the collision with speeds estimated between 67 and 71 miles per hour in the posted 45 mile per hour zone. Blood samples collected and subsequently analyzed revealed that Torres’ blood alcohol content (BAC) was .03 and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was detected in his blood.
Torres was charged with three (3) counts of A.R.S. § 13-1103(A)(1) – Manslaughter (recklessly causing the death of another person), a class 2 felony.