2 Othello men die in Moses Lake
City Manager Joseph Gavinski (left) and Moses Lake Police Chief Dave Ruffin survey an embankment Wednesday morning where two people were killed when an SUV rolled into the lake.
MOSES LAKE - Two Othello men died early Wednesday morning after an SUV they were in rolled into Moses Lake.
The two victims were identified as Alonso Alejo Zurita, 21, and Carlos Reyes Bautista, 20, both of Othello, according to the Grant County Coroner's Office.
Witnesses observed a Jeep SUV east on Valley Road at an extremely high rate of speed about 1 a.m. Wednesday, according to the Moses Lake Police Department. Bautista, the driver of the vehicle, allegedly ran the red light at Stratford Road. He continued through the parking lot of Penn Plaza before hitting a PUD power box near Eddie's Restaurant. The vehicle continued down a grassy embankment, causing the vehicle to roll into the lake. The vehicle came to rest upside down in about five feet of water.
Zurita and Bautista reportedly died at the scene. One passenger, a 20-year-old man, was able to get out of the vehicle before law enforcement arrived.
One witness and Moses Lake police officers entered the water to free the three remaining occupants. Due to the location and position of the vehicle, the effort was unsuccessful, according to reports.
Moses Lake fire fighters arrived were able to use hydraulic tools to force a door open and rescue another occupant, a 20-year-old male. Two victims inside had died, according to reports.
The two survivors were treated on scene and released, according to reports.
An initial investigation determined alcohol was a factor in the crash, according to Capt. Dave Sands.
An autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.