NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A man has been charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication after a collision on I-24E on Saturday night.
According to police, Elvin Portillo, 31, was driving a 2002 Toyota pickup truck eastbound on I-24 near Harding Place when he lost control of the truck and it began to spin.
The victim of the crash, 57-year-old Bobby Douglas was also driving eastbound at the time.
Douglas attempted to swerve when Portillo's truck began to spin which led to the victim's vehicle hitting the guardrail. Douglas' vehicle then became partially airborne and collided with a pole on the driver's side. The vehicle then caught fire. Douglas died at the scene of the crash.
The passenger in the Douglas' vehicle was transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Once Portillo's truck came to a stop after hitting a concrete barrier, both Portillo and his passenger 60-year-old Sebastian Monge attempted to flee the scene on foot but were apprehended by witnesses who held them until police arrived.
Police say that Portillo had an obvious scent of alcohol on him and admitted that he had been drinking beer earlier in the evening. Police also recovered empty beer cans in Portillo's truck. Monge was transported to Vanderbilt to be treated for minor injuries.
Portillo, who has had a previous DUI conviction in 2012, is now charged with vehicular homicide by intoxication, as well as leaving the scene of a crash, failure to render aid, driving on a revoked license and not having proof of insurance.
Portillo is being held on a $157,000 bond.
