Metro Police Sgt. Rich Rundell speaks Thursday, July 11, 2024, at a news conference with family members of two 19-year-old men killed in a hit-and-run crash on Friday, July 5, 2024. Pictured with Rundell from left are Luis Torres, brother of victim Julian Torres, and Michael Caseman and Jeannell Velasquez, the step-father and mother of victim Ethan Velasquez.
Thursday, July 11, 2024 | 12:37 p.m.
Luis Angel Equihua-Murillo
Metro Police are asking for the public’s help locating a suspect in a hit-and-run crash last week that claimed the lives of two Las Vegas teens.
Police identified Luis Angel Equihua-Murillo, 20, as the suspect in the crash just before 2:45 a.m. Friday. Equihua-Murillo sped through a stop light at Charleston and Hollywood boulevards and hit a car, police said.
Two people in the car, Julian Torres and Ethan Velasquez, both 19, were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
Equihua-Murillo fled the scene on foot before police or medics arrived, Metro Sgt. Rich Rundell said today at a news conference.
Metro investigators do not believe Equihua-Murillo has left Las Vegas, and police have been in contact with his friends and family, Rundell said.
Rundell also made a statement directed toward Equihua-Murillo, encouraging the man to turn himself in.
“It's not too late to do the right thing,” Rundell said. “You need to take accountability and responsibility for what happened that night.”
Equihua-Murillo is wanted on two counts of duty to stop at the scene of an accident involving death and two counts of reckless driving resulting in death, police said.
Velasquez’s mother, Jeannell Velasquez, also spoke at the news conference, noting the positive impact the teens had on their families and communities. She urged people to help police find Equihua-Murillo.
“Ethan and Julian deserve justice, and our families need closure to begin healing from this tragedy,” she said.
