San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said that Erik Arambula, 25, who pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs and causing the death of a mother and her 4-year-old daughter, was sentenced today to 12 years in prison.

Arambula pleaded guilty on October 8, to driving under the influence of drugs and two counts of evading an officer causing death.

“This defendant, who could have prevented the tragic outcome of this case, willingly drove under the influence of drugs and took the lives of an innocent mother and daughter,” DA Stephan said. “These types of deaths are the most preventable, yet people think they can get away with this dangerous behavior. The tragic lesson here is simple: do not drink or consume drugs and get behind the wheel.”

In April 2023, Arambula, driving a pickup truck, ran a red light on Old Highway 395 in Fallbrook, leading law enforcement to initiate a traffic stop. Instead of yielding to the officer’s vehicle, Arambula accelerated to approximately 100 miles-per-hour then drove through a chain-link fence, careened down an embankment, and landed on the southbound lanes of Interstate 15 heading in the wrong direction. Arambula crashed head-on with the 29-year-old victim and her daughter before colliding with and injuring the occupants of a third vehicle.

In 2023, 32 people were killed in 29 DUI-related crashes in San Diego County. This year, 20 people have been killed so far in 16 DUI-related crashes.

According to M.A.D.D., which partners with the District Attorney’s Office on public awareness, every 78 seconds someone is killed or injured by an impaired driving crash.

Deputy District Attorney David Uyar prosecuted this case.