U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is urging North Carolina officials to detain Javiel Pena Sola, a Salvadoran citizen accused of killing three people in a hit-and-run incident on July 18 in Salisbury. Sola allegedly struck a vehicle and fled the scene. A police K-9 unit located him, according to ICE.
Two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while a third died after being airlifted to a hospital. Sola's vehicle was found in a creek, and he faces three counts of hit-and-run involving serious injury or death.
ICE has issued a detainer with local authorities to ensure Sola remains in custody. According to DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis, Sola entered the U.S. through Arizona in April 2022. Bis stated that Sola was arrested in 2016 but subsequently released by the Obama administration.
Sola's past encounters with law enforcement include convictions in Maryland in July 2015 for reckless endangerment, failure to stop after an accident involving damage to an attended vehicle, and driving without a license. He also had a prior arrest for escaping from custody.
Following his Maryland arrest, law enforcement in Baltimore honored an ICE detainer and transferred Sola to federal agents in March 2016. ICE reported that he was released by the Obama administration two months later.