The occupants of the Honda Accord that was later involved in a triple-fatality crash early Saturday on South First Street were told by Lufkin police to leave Motel 6 an hour and half earlier in connection to a disturbance, according to a press release from Jessica Pebsworth, communications director for the city of Lufkin.
Officers responded to a disturbance call at the motel at 10:29 p.m. Friday involving the occupants of a black Firebird and a black SUV. Those vehicles were no longer on the scene when officers arrived at the motel, Pebsworth said.
Motel management told police a group staying there may have been connected to the incident, and those individuals were asked to leave the premises, Pebsworth said.
“Officers contacted those individuals — all of whom were adults — and stood by while they vacated the room,” Pebsworth said.
That group left the hotel with a female driver, later identified as Reilly Brown, 19, of Carthage, in her white 2006 Honda Accord, Pebsworth said.
Tyler Lewis, 17, of Jasper, who was driving the Honda at the time of the crash, and other witnesses told police the individuals had attempted to go to a hotel near the eventual crash site after another hotel would not rent a room to them, according to Pebsworth.
At 12:02 a.m. Saturday, the Honda was involved in a crash in the 3000 block of South First Street that left three of its occupants dead and four injured.
The wreck resulted in the deaths of Anastasia Gray, 19, of Carthage; Xzavien Grimble, 20, of Jasper; and Antownique Robertson, 18, of Carthage. It also resulted in the serious injury of Radaysha Jackson, 18, of Kirbyville, and Brown, both of whom remain hospitalized in stable condition in Tyler.
Tyler Lewis and another passenger, Omorian Lewis, 17, of Jasper, were injured but released from the hospital, Pebsworth said.
Police arrested Tyler Lewis on three counts of intoxicated manslaughter with a vehicle, and he was released from the Angelina County Jail Monday on a $150,000 bond. Investigators are awaiting a toxicology report they said will take six to eight weeks to return.
Police believe Tyler Lewis made a sudden and dramatic lane change to the left in front of Ralph & Kacoo's and Cotton Patch Cafe. That move put the car in the path of a 2022 Ford Bronco driven by 24-year-old Michael Allman, of Lufkin, Pebsworth said.
Both vehicles spun into the median, and the Bronco struck a light pole. The Honda received extensive structural damage, with the worst of the impact at the car’s rear. No one in the Honda was wearing a seat belt, but Allman was wearing one in his Bronco, according to police. He sustained no physical injuries, Pebsworth said.
The Texas Department of Public Safety will conduct a crash reconstruction next week as requested by the police department.
“We will notify the public next week when DPS intends to conduct the crash reconstruction at the crash site to ensure the safety of troopers and motorists,” Pebsworth said.
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