Suspect Alex Mark Demetro and victim Warren Smale
ONTARIO – A Union City man, driving a Corvette in a test drive, will stand charges of vehicular manslaughter after a crash killed a car salesman on Tuesday.
Warren Smale, 43, of nearby Montclair, died when the Corvette driven by Alex Mark Demetro, 28, crashed into a tree. Smale, riding in the passenger seat, was killed at the scene.
The 2005 Corvette was taken out for the test drive shortly before 1 p.m.
Early Wednesday morning, Demetro, from the San Francisco Bay Area city of Union City, was able to post $100,000 bail and get released from custody, according to jail records.
Police reported that drugs might have been involved. Most likely, said Ontario police spokesman Jeff Higbee, the drugs were prescribed medication that Demetro took prior to driving the car. Reports that the Corvette was seen speeding were also made to police.
Witnesses, said Higbee, reported the car was being driven at high speed, “and the driver lost control.”
The site of the crash was located just around the corner from the CarMax dealership on Mercedes Drive. It was about one mile from the Ontario International Airport and close to the Citizen’s Bank Arena, home of the Ontario Reign minor league hockey team.
According to reports, Smale began working for CarMax in 2013.
Higbee, who explained that Demetro was cooperating in the investigation, said police are still looking further into the cause of the crash. Along with vehicular manslaughter charges, Demetro is also facing charges of driving under the influence, according to jail records.
Police did not disclose if Demetro suffered any injuries in the crash.
