A Lawrenceville man is behind bars and facing charges in connection with a crash that killed five teenagers on Interstate 85 near Duluth earlier this month.
A release from the Gwinnett County Police Department said Emanuel Rene Esfahani, age 20, turned himself in to authorities Tuesday night and was booked into the Gwinnett County Jail.
The crash happened in the early morning hours of September 4 when police said a Toyota Tacoma went over the wall of the raised ramp from Georgia 316 Westbound onto Interstate 85 Southbound and landed in those southbound lanes of 85. The crash killed five occupants in the Tacoma, all of whom were under the age of 20.
Wednesday's release from the police department said the crash was a result of racing between the Tacoma and an Infiniti G35 that was driven by Esfahani. They said the two vehicles were going over 100 miles per hour on the ramp when they both changed lanes to go around a slower vehicle before Esfahani swerved to miss a box truck and inadvertently hit the Tacoma, causing it to spin and roll.
The Tacoma then rolled into the wall and went over.
Esfahani is facing a list of charges including five counts of Homicide by Vehicle. He remains in the Gwinnett County Jail without bond.