Man In ICE Police Chase Arrested In Crash That Killed GA Teacher

SAVANNAH, GA — A Guatemalan man who was fleeing from immigration officers is facing homicide charges after police say he caused a crash that killed a woman Sunday morning at Whitefield Avenue.

Chatham County Police said the deadly crash happened around 7:45 a.m. near their precinct and the Whitefield-Truman Parkway intersection.

Oscar Vasquez Lopez, 38, had been fleeing from officers with the Department of Homeland Security/Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the time, police said.

The police chase came after ICE officers attempted to stop Lopez's vehicle. Police said they were unaware of ICE's operation until after the crash and were not involved in it.

According to ICE, Lopez initially complied during the traffic stop but later fled. He tried to make a U-turn and crashed into the woman's vehicle after running a red light, authorities said.

Both Lopez and the woman were taken to a hospital, where the woman was pronounced dead, police said. Lopez's injuries were not life threatening, police said.

Police did not identify the woman, but a WTOC report said she was Hesse K-8 School teacher Linda Davis.

A third vehicle was involved in the crash, but everyone inside were uninjured, police said.

Lopez was arrested on charges of reckless driving, driving without a valid license, failure to obey traffic control device and first-degree homicide by vehicle, police said. He was booked into the Chatham County Detention Center.

ICE on Monday said Lopez entered the U.S. at an unknown time and at an unknown location. In 2024, a judge issued a final order of removal against Lopez, ICE said.

“This vehicular homicide is an absolute tragedy ...” Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a news release. “... Fleeing from and resisting federal law enforcement is not only a crime but extraordinarily dangerous and puts oneself, our officers and innocent civilians at risk. Now, an innocent bystander has lost their life."