TAMPA. -- A Tampa man was charged with two counts of DUI manslaughter and vehicular homicide in an overnight crash on the Veterans Expressway (SR-589) that killed two people.
Florida Highway Patrol reported that the crash, which occurred around 2:20 a.m., was caused when the driver of a 2014 Mercedes-Benz, Anwar Daoud Askar, 54, attempted to overtake a second car traveling in the outside lane of the Veterans.
Askar was traveling at a high rate of speed when his car rear-ended a 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix. The collision sent the Grand Prix into a concrete traffic barrier, causing the vehicle to catch fire.
Both occupants of the Pontiac, identified by the FHP as Jesus Emanuel Lanzo, 33, and Carlos Angler Quinones Perez, 33, both from Tampa, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Askar's vehicle also crashed into a concrete barrier. He suffered serious injuries and was transported to Tampa General Hospital.
The crash closed the northbound lanes of Veterans Expressway for nine hours and was reopened around 11:40 a.m. Saturday.
Tampa: Double fatal crash early this morning NB Veterans Expy milepost 2; avoid the area. pic.twitter.com/7107Ma28BX
- Sgt. Steve Gaskins (@SteveG717) October 22, 2016
