Car Crashes Into Bensalem Bar, Employee Dies

CBS 3 - Eyewitness News

Bensalem, Pa. (CBS 3) ―Bensalem police were called to the scene of an accident at the Salute Restaurant Bar on Knights Road in Bensalem, Pa. just before 10:30 Saturday night.  Upon arriving police found a male pinned between a white pick-up truck and the exterior wall of the bar.

The victim, 30-year-old William Sullo III of Philadelphia was struck and killed by the defendant, 35-year-old Jose Maldonaldo-Luzuriaga, whom has been living in the United States illegally now for 5 to 6 years.

Moldonaldo-Luzuriaga, who worked in the take-out section of Salute, but was not working the night of the accident, but appeared to be intoxicated when he arrived at the bar.  As a result the bartender denied the defendant a drink and gave him a glass of water.  
When  Maldonaldo-Luzuriaga was spotted drinking a Corona, that a friend had given him, he was escorted out of the bar by William Sullo and Carl Slaton, both employees of the bar.

Upon leaving the bar, Moldonaldo-Luzuriaga got in an argument with patrons outside the bar and got into a white Ford pick-up truck.  He drove the truck around the parking lot approximately 3 times, without a license, before stopping his truck approximately 45 feet from the front of Salute Restaurant Bar.  The defendant revved the engine and traveled at a high rate of speed over the curb striking Sullo and the bar.  

Fellow employee, Carl Slaton Jr., was able to jump out of the way, escaping injury, and was able to restrain the driver, Jose Moldonaldo-Luzuriaga, until police arrived on scene.  

Sullo was transported to Frankford Torresdale hospital where he was pronounced dead.  

Maldonaldo-Luzuriaga has been charged with criminal attempted homicide as well as accident caused by a person not licensed to drive and recklessly endangering another person.

David Zellis, the first assistant District Attorney for Bucks County said that it is alleged that this is an “intentional knowing or reckless act on part of the defendant” and that he could serve a maximum of 20 to 40 years for criminal homicide, a felony of the first degree.

Bucks county is asking that the judge has him remanded to the Bucks County Correctional Facility, where he is currently being held, pending his preliminary hearing.

The preliminary hearing for Jose Maldonaldo-Luzuriaga will be scheduled within the next 10 days.

Maldonaldo-Luzuriaga will be prosecuted to the fullest extent.  If charged, the Maldonaldo-Luzuruaga will serve his time here, in the United States.  Once the defendant completes his sentence it will be up to the authorities as to where he will go.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

http://cbs3.com/local/Bensalem.Salute.Knights.2.876573.html

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!