San Francisco district attorney files charges in fatal taxi crash

By Erica Holt and Brigid Gaffikin, Bay City News Service

December 3, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) - The San Francisco district attorney's office has charged man suspected of leaving the scene of a crash police say he caused that killed a 31-year-old taxi passenger in San Francisco early Thursday morning with two felonies.

Eduardo Vicente, a 25-year-old Guatemalan national, will face charges of felony involuntary manslaughter and felony hit and run when he is arraigned in San Francisco Superior Court on Monday morning, according to district attorney spokeswoman Bilen Mesfin.

Police arrested Vicente in El Cerrito Thursday. Police say he fled the scene of a fatal accident that he caused early Thursday morning when he blew through a red light in San Francisco.

Vicente told co-workers in El Cerrito that he had been in an accident. His co-workers had seen reports of the fatal hit and run and they called police, according to San Francisco police Sgt. Steve Mannina.

Graciela Sholl, 31, of San Francisco, was one of three passengers in the back of a Town Taxi car when the collision occurred. She died early this morning. One passenger was in critical condition after the crash while the other passenger and the male taxi driver suffered minor injuries.

Mannina said the van ran a red light around 12:15 a.m. Thursday as it headed northbound on Laguna Street just as the cab crossed the intersection on Fulton Street.

The cab spun out, hit a pole and a car, Mannina said.

According to Mannina, Vicente then jumped out and ran from the intersection.

Inspectors said they found empty alcohol containers inside the van. Mannina said proving the driver was drunk may become more difficult without a blood-alcohol sample.

By law, all San Francisco taxicabs are required to have cameras equipped inside. Mannina said the camera would have little value as evidence in this case, however, considering it would normally only film the inside of the vehicle.

Vicente is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. on Monday, Hall of Justice, 850 Bryant St.

Copyright © 2006 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.

####