Mary Lau: San Francisco woman arrested after SUV crashes into bus stop killing 3 people including 1-year-old child
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA: Following a fatal car crash at a bus stop in San Francisco that claimed the lives of 3 family members, including two adults and a 1-year-old child, another infant of the deceased couple was left injured and is undergoing medical treatment in a hospital.
San Francisco resident Mary Fong Lau, 78, was taken into custody for the incident on Sunday, March 17, and remained in custody till Monday, March 18, according to jail records.
Mercedes SUV crashes into bus stop
Jail officials declared on Monday that Lau had not appeared in court. It wasn't immediately clear if she had legal representation, according to Newsday.
As per the statement from the San Francisco Police Department, Lau was charged with three counts of felony vehicular manslaughter, felony reckless driving causing bodily injury, and additional traffic violations.
Lau's Mercedes SUV hit a bus shelter on Saturday, March 16, afternoon in the city's West Portal neighborhood. Two people, including a man and a child, died at the scene. Three people were taken to the hospital and Lau was one of them.
According to police, the third victim, a woman, died subsequently in a hospital.
According to authorities, an infant is still in the hospital with potentially fatal wounds.
The deceased individuals and injured infant were a family — a mother, a father and their child and infant baby — taking the bus to the zoo.
Flowers have been placed by the locals at the growing memorial site of the collision. An advocacy group called Walk San Francisco held a vigil at the location on Monday night.
Police have probable cause to arrest Mary Lau
In a statement sent by email on Monday afternoon, San Francisco District Attorney Brook Jenkins stated that the investigation is "only in its very beginning stages," SF Gate reported.
"The police had probable cause to arrest Mary Fong Lau based on the preliminary evidence gathered to date," Jenkins said. "My office is now in the process of receiving case information and evidence from the police department."
Lau's toxicology report, which might take 30 days to finish, and an examination of Lau's car to "determine whether mechanical issues may have played a role," are also part of the investigation, according to the DA.
"While I understand that there is an immediate desire to know what ultimately will happen in this case, I ask for patience from the public as investigators continue to gather more information so that my office can make appropriate charging decisions," Jenkins said.
