The man and woman killed by a driver who U-turned at the U.S.-Mexico border and traveled the wrong way on Interstate 5 have been identified by the medical examiner's office.
Shun Yang, 23, and Manlin Yang, 24, (no relation) were driving south on I-5 in the early hours of Dec. 20 when David Michael Elmore, 29, hit their vehicle head-on. All three people died in the fiery crash.
Shun had celebrated his birthday just nine days before his death. UC San Diego confirmed the two victims were students at the university.
California Highway Patrol officials said Elmore had driven his 2006 Mercedes south to the San Ysidro Port of Entry but abruptly made a U-turn before crossing the border.
Driving north on I-5’s southbound lanes, Elmore sped up to 120 miles per hour for 38 miles, reaching Encinitas before slamming into Shun and Manlin just south of Manchester Avenue.
Court records show Elmore had multiple DUIs on his record. At the time of the crash, he did not have a California driver’s license.
Throughout his DUI history, Elmore had blood alcohol levels well above the legal limit. In one case, he got behind the wheel with a BAC of 0.22 – nearly three times over the legal limit, according to court documents.
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The CHP is waiting on the results of a toxicology report to determine if Elmore was under the influence on Dec. 20.
