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Prosecutors charged a Pleasanton man with murder and other counts for allegedly driving drunk and killing a passenger in another vehicle in a violent crash on Crow Canyon Road in San Ramon during the Thanksgiving weekend.
Badal Devendra Dholaria, 27, is scheduled to be arraigned in Contra Costa County Superior Court on Thursday (Dec. 4) on five felony charges related to the two-vehicle collision five days earlier that claimed the life of Castro Valley resident Alix Mari Sparks.
“I want to be clear: every DUI-related incident represents a choice – a choice that can kill,” Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said in a news release announcing the charges Wednesday.
“If you’re impaired, don’t drive. Every time you get behind the wheel under the influence, you’re gambling with lives,” Becton added. “Whether it’s alcohol, marijuana, prescription medications, or illegal drugs, any substance that impairs your ability to operate a vehicle safely makes you a danger on our roads.”
San Ramon Police Department officers were back out at the scene Wednesday as part of their ongoing investigation, closing Crow Canyon Road between Bollinger Canyon and Norris Canyon roads for nearly six hours for follow-up work on the case.
The deadly crash unfolded in the area just before 3:30 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 29). Police allege Dholaria was intoxicated behind the wheel of a Tesla Model 3 on Crow Canyon Road near the western city limit when he crashed into a Ford Bronco. A witness told DanvilleSanRamon.com the next day that the Tesla had been speeding erratically seconds before the collision.
A female passenger in the Bronco succumbed to critical injuries sustained in the wreck. The Contra Costa County Coroner’s Division confirmed Wednesday that the victim was Sparks, 41, of Castro Valley.
The driver of the Bronco, a 40-year-old Castro Valley man whose name has not been released, was taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries and later released, police said.
Dholaria was arrested at the scene and booked into the Martinez Detention Facility.
The DA’s office filed formal charges against Dholaria on Wednesday, including murder, two counts of DUI causing injury and two counts of driving with a blood-alcohol content over 0.08% causing injury. He also faces special allegations of causing great bodily injuries to both victims.
Dholaria is scheduled to be arraigned in court in Martinez at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
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