LOS ANGELES — An illegal immigrant with a history of drunk driving is now behind bars for allegedly causing a fiery, head-on crash while inebriated in San Diego that killed an 8-year-old girl and injured several others, The Post has learned.
Brayan Alva-Rodriguez, 25, who is from Guatemala, was allegedly drunk behind the wheel of his Toyota Tacoma when he crossed the double-yellow line on San Felipe Road near Ranchita on Sunday — smashing straight into a Toyota Camry, the San Diego Union-Tribune first reported.
Alva-Rodriguez’s Tacoma then smashed into a Ford F-350 with a utility trailer that had been ahead of him in the other lane, causing the migrant’s truck to flip and erupt into flames, the outlet also noted, citing California Highway Patrol.
Only Alva-Rodriguez and his passenger were able to exit their vehicles on their own, though both sustained injuries and had to be transported to a local hospital.
Seven people in total were injured. Three children were in the back of the Camry — including two boys, ages 4 and 5, and the fatal 8-year-old girl.
Alva-Rodriguez, whose last name is reversed in county booking records as “Brayan Rodriguez Alva,” was booked Thursday by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and charged with first-degree murder, two felony counts of gross vehicular manslaughter, as well as felony charges for driving under the influence and causing bodily injury to the seven in the accident.
The Guatemalan national was previously charged with DUIs in San Diego and Vista on Sept. 6, 2020, and April 7, 2021, respectively, with the latter incident also including a hit-and-run charge, according to Department of Homeland Security officials.
It’s unclear when Alva-Rodriguez entered the US.
He’s currently being held on a more than $2 million bond at the San Diego Central jail. His next court date is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2026.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has since lodged an arrest detainer to eventually deport Alva-Rodriguez, but the San Diego sheriff’s office denied the same request in a separate case involving a Mexican migrant — who had been removed from the US four times prior — accused of killing an 11-year-old boy in a brazen hit-and-run on Thanksgiving eve.
A spokesperson for the office pointed to California’s so-called “sanctuary” law barring them from coordinating with ICE to deport that migrant, Hector Balderas-Aheelor, who had no prior criminal charges.
The Post reviewed a copy of the detainer showing that the sheriff’s office noted the Mexican national would be subject to removal upon conviction from the hit-and-run charge.
Aiden Antonio Torres De Paz, 11, was running after his soccer ball at the end of the street outside his home on Nov. 26 in Escondido, Calif., when Balderas-Aheelor allegedly ran him over and then sped off.
The boy died at a nearby hospital on Thanksgiving Day. His family later shared heartbreaking tributes online and a vigil was held near their home in Escondido.
Balderas-Aheelor, who is being held on a $300,000 bail, was deported from the country four previous times — as far back as 2004. Prosecutors said in a Wednesday arraignment hearing that he posed a flight risk and was a “transient.”
“This case is a tragedy and every parents’ worst nightmare. We are doing everything in our power to get justice for Aiden’s family,” Deputy District Attorney Nicole Gerard said after the hearing.
The Post has reached out to the San Diego sheriff’s office for comment about Alva-Rodriguez’s ICE detainer.
“How many deaths of children at the hands of criminal illegal aliens need to happen before Governor Newsom and sanctuary politicians will prioritize the safety and security of American families?” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement. “This serial drunk driver should have never been allowed back onto California roads.”
“We are praying for the family of this child who will be grieving this holiday season,” McLaughlin added. “Secretary Noem is calling on Governor Newsom to honor this ICE arrest detainer for this illegal alien.”
Newsom’s office said following Balderas-Aheelor’s arrest, “nothing prohibits the federal government from doing its job in this case.”
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