According to the Odessa Police Department, a case of road rage sent one person to the hospital Tuesday night and landed another in the Ector County jail.
Officers were notified about a major accident at Dawn Avenue and East University Boulevard around 7:15 p.m. and when they arrived they found all westbound University lanes blocked by four crashed vehicles.
Drivers told OPD officers a man, later identified as Gabriel Santiago, 19, was swerving in and out of lanes at a high rate of speed when he lost control of his Chevrolet SS, causing it to hit the center divider on University, jump the divider, hit a Chrysler 300 and a Nissan Altima.
According to the report, a passenger in a Ford F-150 was taken to Medical Center Hospital with a head wound, but it’s unclear how or when the Ford was struck.
When officers spoke with Santiago he told them he’d become angry at another driver and began to speed up to get away from that driver, the report stated. He also acknowledged he’d switched lanes multiple times before losing control of the vehicle.
Santiago was booked into the Ector County jail on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of deadly conduct and child endangerment, because a 2-year-old girl was in one of the vehicles.
He was released after posting surety bonds totaling $60,500.
According to Ector County District Court records, Santiago was convicted of racing on a highway in July 2022 and placed on six months probation. In April 2023, his probation was revoked and he was sentenced to 24 days in jail, but given credit for 24 days he’d already served.
Court records also show Santiago has been convicted of driving without a license twice, driving without insurance and driving an unregistered vehicle.
