Arrest Made In Stamford Double-Fatal Pedestrian Crash: Police

STAMFORD, CT — A little over a month after Giovani Vega Benis and Yuliana Arias Lozano, both 25-year-old Stamford residents, were killed after getting hit by a car on Washington Boulevard at Main Street, police announced that they've arrested the driver — 24-year-old Michael Talbot, of Greenwich.

Talbot was arrested Thursday night in Florida on a warrant charges him with two counts of second-degree manslaughter; two counts of second-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle; two counts of felony evading responsibility; and operating under the influence, according to Sgt. Jeffrey Booth, head of the Stamford Police Department's Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad.

The warrant carries a court-set bond of $1 million.

The arrest warrant was secured on Jan. 4, and police found out the next day that Talbot was in Florida visiting family, Booth said. With the help of the Collier County Sheriff's Office, Talbot was taken into custody at approximately 8:15 pm., Thursday.

Talbot will be held in Florida until he waives extradition and can be transported back to Stamford, Booth said.

On Dec. 3, 2022, Vega and Arias had finished working at Cantina Mexicana on Summer Street and went to Curley's Diner together in downtown Stamford to grab a late-night bite to eat, according to Vega's cousin, Ruth Sanchez.

Shortly after at around 2:05 a.m., the two were walking each other home and crossing Washington Boulevard at Main Street when they were struck by a 2022 Mercedes Benz driven by Talbot, police said.

Police said Vega and Arias are believed to have been in the crosswalk at the time of the collision. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

Talbot fled the area on foot, but he was apprehended a short time later after officers found him hiding behind a dumpster on Relay Place, police said.

Charges weren't initially filed against Talbot in the days after the crash, causing outrage in the community as residents demanded action from police.

An online petition calling for the Connecticut State Attorney to file charges has garnered over 29,000 signatures to date.

Police said they needed time to piece together the crash and apply for search warrants, and that speeding and intoxication were being looked at as factors. Mayor Caroline Simmons urged patience as the SPD worked through the investigation.

Late Thursday night, Simmons released a statement on the arrest of Talbot.

"My thoughts and prayers remain with the families of Giovani Vega Benis and Yuliana Arias Lozano," she said. "I commend the thoroughness and due diligence that was followed from the start of this investigation, and I am proud of the outstanding work by the officers of the Stamford Police Department, who carried out the arrest warrant and which led to Mr. Talbot being taken into custody."

Following the crash, Vega and Arias were remembered by their family members and co-workers for their kindness, smiles and hard work.

"They weren't at a club drinking, they weren't at a bar drinking. They were at Curley's having a late night dinner like everybody does in Stamford, and they were walking home from work and they got killed," said Sanchez. "That doesn't make sense."