WICHITA– A man who caused a traffic fatality during a drug transaction has been sentenced to prison.
On Monday, District Judge Kevin O'Connor sentenced Alejandro Cruz, 19 of Wichita, to 104 months in prison, according to the Sedgwick County District Attorney's office.
On June 27, Cruz offered to sell marijuana in a parking lot at 53rd St. N. and Meridian in Wichita. The man who wanted to buy the drugs grabbed the bag from Cruz and ran to a gray car containing two other men. Cruz chased the men in his car westbound on 53rd. Cruz's 17-year-old girlfriend was in his car at the time.
After weaving in and out of traffic, Cruz's vehicle struck the car and pushed it into oncoming traffic. The gray car was sheared in half and spun off the road into a field.
Two of the occupants were ejected and the third was pinned inside. Elias Powell, 19 of Wichita, died later at a hospital. The other two men in the car were hospitalized.
On November 12th, Cruz pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter, two counts of aggravated battery, and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.