On Friday, April 1st, 2022, at 10:23 pm, the Turlock Police Department, Stanislaus State Police Department, Turlock Fire Department, and American Medical Response were dispatched to a reported vehicle collision with injuries at the intersection of W Monte Vista Ave and Geer Rd, Turlock.

When crews arrived on scene, they found three vehicles involved. One was a blue Chrysler sedan, one was a gray Mercedes-Benz coupe, and the other was an unknown color Chevrolet pickup truck. The blue Chrysler sedan was on its roof and was approximately three hundred fifty feet away from the gray Mercedes-Benz coupe.

The blue Chrysler sedan had two occupants, its driver, Mario Gomez, 19, of Turlock, and his passenger. Both suffered minor injuries and refused to be transported. Prior to responders arriving, Gomez’s passenger was stuck in the vehicle and screaming for help. Bystanders rescued her. The gray Mercedes-Benz had a single occupant, its driver, who suffered minor injuries and refused to be transported. The unknown color Chevrolet pickup truck had a single occupant, its driver, who was uninjured.

Officers noticed signs that Gomez was exhibiting signs of being under the influence, so they asked him to participate in standardized field sobriety tests. As a result of Gomez’s performance in the tests, officers determined that he was indeed under the influence of alcohol.

The blue Chrysler sedan and gray Mercedes-Benz coupe both sustained major damage and were deemed inoperable as a result of the collision, requiring them to be towed away from the scene. The unknown color Chevrolet pickup truck sustained minor damage and was able to be driven away from the scene.

It is currently unknown how the collision occurred.

Gomez was arrested and booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury.