A 25-year-old man is facing charges after three people died when a car smashed into the side of a building on Calgary Trail early Friday morning.
Edmonton police responded to a call of a crash north of 55 Avenue just after 2 a.m. when they found two women in their early 20s and a 32-year-old man dead inside of an Audi RS5 sedan.
The car slammed into the side of the nearby Starbucks, causing significant damage to the vehicle and building. Police believe excessive speed was involved.
Calgary Trail north of 55 was closed for most of the day Friday while major collision officers investigated and police searched for the male driver, who fled on foot before officers arrived.
The car had an Ontario vanity licence plate with the words Dr. Green.
Just after 12 p.m., the driver was later taken into custody at his home in southwest Edmonton. He was treated by paramedics and taken to hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries. Police said Oscar Benjumea faces multiple charges, were to be sworn in later Friday evening, once his condition stabilized more in hospital.
Cameron Kane, who is co-owner of the Bud King with Benjumea, said he couldn’t get a hold of him Friday morning and was worried about his whereabouts.
He said Benjumea called him in the afternoon to let him know that was going to turn himself in.
“I’m just trying to pick up the pieces,” he said. “I’m here to help out as much as I can. I’m part of the community. I’m trying to make the best out of the situation and hold everything together. I was stunned and shocked this morning. As soon as I woke up people were asking me if I was alive because they thought I might have been in the car. I might have been one of the dead passengers.”
Both Kane and Benjumea are originally from Toronto. The two have been friends for more than a decade.
According to court records, Benjumea was charged in September 2018 for refusing to provide a breath sample. He was fined $1,000 and received a one-year licence suspension.
