A Teen Faces Seven DUI Charges When He Allegedly Escaped A California Juvenile Detention Center And Was Drunk When He Crashed Into A Van That Killed Five People And Injured Two

A teen who allegedly escaped a California juvenile detention center in March will be tried in a Las Vegas court for seven felony DUIs Wednesday for what happened after he escaped.

Jean Soriano, 18, had a blood-alcohol percentage of 0.12, which is above the Nevada legal limit of 0.08 percent after a freeway crash that killed five Southern California family members and injured two others, prosecutors said Wednesday.

The Nevada Highway Patrol said Soriano and a 23-year-old passenger in a Dodge Durango were hurt when their vehicle rear-ended a Chevrolet van carrying a trio of brothers and four other family members back to the Los Angeles area for Easter after visiting a sick relative in Denver, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

The van overturned in the desert, killing Genaro Fernandez, 41, of Norwalk; Raudel Fernandez-Avila, 49, and Belen Fernandez, 53, both of Lynwood; and Angela Sandoval, 13, and Leonardo Fernandez-Avila, 45, both of Los Angeles.

Police said that Soriano admitted that he was driving and beer bottles were inside the car.

Now, Soriano faces seven DUI charges and two misdemeanors for driving without a license and not decreasing his speed.

Frank Cofer said his client Soriano will plead not guilty when he is asked by the judge.  

"He's a young kid, very scared, distraught," Cofer said following the brief court appearance with Soriano, who was shackled for a 60-mile trip in a jail van from Las Vegas to a rural courtroom 60 miles away.

The attorney asked the judge on Wednesday to order the preservation as evidence of the SUV involved in the crash so that defense investigators can collect blood and tissue samples to determine if Soriano was actually driving, according to the AP. Cofer said he also plans to order independent blood-alcohol tests on samples drawn from Soriano after the crash.

The driver of the van, Maria Rosario Cardanas, 40, and a 15-year-old passenger, Eddie Sandoval, were the only survivors.

After Soriano's arrest, authorities in Orange County, Calif., said that he fled March 1 from a juvenile guidance center in Santa Ana that treats drug and alcohol abusers.

Soriano is currently being held on $3.5 million bail.