HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The driver of a Jeep involved in a three-car accident that authorities said resulted in the death of a 16-year-old passenger has been arrested and charged.
Joyner Riang, 33, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide in connection to the July 9, 2023, fatal car crash on Route 3 by Chalan Lumasu, according to a Guam Police Department press release issued Monday afternoon.
On Tuesday, Riang was charged in the Superior Court of Guam with vehicular homicide as a second-degree felony.
According to the magistrate’s complaint, Riang was driving a Jeep Wrangler with two female passengers, which included the 16-year-old girl, on July 9, 2023, at about 10:49 p.m. when there was “heavy rain, poor visibility, and no illumination by streetlights.”
Riang allegedly told officers he was waiting to turn left onto Route 3, and he saw cars approaching his direction “but thought that he would be able to make the turn without being hit by approaching cars,” the complaint stated.
“As Riang made the left turn, his tires were losing traction on the roadway and his vehicle was motoring at a slow speed, … he was already in the outer lane when he started to lose more traction on the roadway and began to swerve,” documents state, alleging Riang was hit on the driver’s side as he was making his turn.
A police investigation revealed Riang failed to yield the right of way as he was crossing Route 3 lanes, which caused the other vehicle, an Isuzu Rodeo, to collide with Riang’s Jeep. Officers found that Riang and the Isuzu Rodeo had encroached onto another lane where a third vehicle was traveling and collided with the Isuzu Rodeo, the complaint stated.
“Riang’s passenger seated in the rear passenger seat of Jeep, (minor), was ejected from the Jeep and struck the roadway, coming to rest underneath the driver’s side door of the Jeep,” the complaint stated.
The other female passenger said she crawled out of the Jeep toward the driver’s side door where she saw the 16-year-old girl motionless under the Jeep by the front left tire and driver’s side door. She added the third vehicle struck the Jeep causing it to move. The driver of the third car came to see the damage but left the scene, court documents stated.
The 16-year-old girl died from blunt force trauma to her head and chest July 19, after she received treatment at the hospital, court documents stated.
According to the complaint, Riang was arrested Monday afternoon.
Riang, along with vehicular homicide, was charged with failure to yield right of way and failure to use passenger restraints as violations.
A highway patrol police trailer at the Guam Police Department headquarters on Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, in Tiyan.
