Suspect Arrested in Deadly Oxnard Pileup Faces Murder Charges

David Mora, 29, has been arrested and booked on two felony murder counts in connection with a deadly eight-car pileup in Oxnard, California, authorities announced. The suspect surrendered to police and was taken into custody eight days after the incident.

Mora is accused of running a red light in his 2018 GMC Sierra pickup truck and colliding with two other vehicles, a 1998 Toyota Avalon and a 2005 Honda Civic, on September 25. The drivers of both vehicles, two unidentified men aged 31 and 58, were pronounced dead at the scene. Five other individuals sustained injuries, with four requiring hospitalization. Four of the eight vehicles involved sustained significant damage.

According to booking logs, Mora, a resident of Santa Paula, turned himself in on Friday evening. He faces two felony counts of murder under California Penal Code 187(A). He has since been transferred to the Ventura County Jail, where his bail has been set at $5 million. Mora is scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on October 6.

Officials arrested Mora on a Ramey warrant, a legal mechanism that allows police to make an arrest before prosecutors have formally filed charges. His listed occupation is engineer.

Traffic investigators had previously indicated that speed and impairment by alcohol and/or drugs were believed to be contributing factors to the crash. Video footage from the aftermath showed extensive damage to multiple vehicles scattered across the intersection, with some appearing to be lodged near or beneath fallen light poles.

Oxnard is located approximately 60 miles west of downtown Los Angeles.