HARRIS COUNTY, Texas — Deputy constables on Thursday identified the man accused of causing a fiery crash on Antoine that killed an infant and two others.
Gregory Smith, 30, is charged with three counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault, according to the Harris County Precinct 4 Deputy Constable's Office.
Records show Smith has a lengthy arrest record.
At the time of Wednesday's deadly crash, he was out of jail on bond for allegedly driving under the influence in July 2019. For that arrest, he had a court date scheduled for April 1, 2020, but he's now back in jail and facing new charges.
The investigation into the deadly crash is still underway.
Precinct 4 officials said the crash happened Wednesday afternoon on Antoine at Beltway 8-North. Smith's SUV allegedly ran a red light and collided with two other vehicles.
There were no serious injuries in the first car that was struck, which spun out. But the second vehicle that was hit, a family's van, burst into flames.
Deputies said four people were in that van. One person was critically injured when they were ejected from the vehicle. The other three, including an infant, died in the crash and subsequent fire.
Family members Thursday identified the victims killed as grandmother Piedad Soriano, infant grandson Ricardo Jr. Escobar and daughter Diana Escobar.
The family said an 11-year-old, who was ejected from the van, suffered a concussion and some bumps and bruises, reported Brett Buffington.
At a press conference late Wednesday, deputies said investigators would return to the site in the daylight to take more measurements and look for surveillance video in the area that shows the moments leading up to the wreck.
According to witnesses, the at-fault driver was heading southbound on Antoine. The first crash caused the suspect to crash into the van, which was heading northbound on Antoine.
The intersection was closed for several hours following the crash but has since reopened.
Authorities noted that at the time of the crash the traffic lights were fully operational. After the crash, however, a damaged control box caused the lights to flash.