The father and son accused of causing a double-fatal crash in Lakewood while street-racing earlier this month were driving nearly 100 mph before the collision and are believed to have been drinking that night, according to an arrest affidavit.
Gregory Mark Giles, 65, and Bryce Anneaus Giles, 26, turned themselves in to Lakewood police Monday and were arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, engaging in a speed contest and reckless driving.
The multi-vehicle crash happened at 9:08 p.m. Nov. 13 at South Kipling Parkway and West Mississippi Avenue. When Lakewood police arrived, they found three vehicles had been involved in the collision — a 2004 Toyota 4Runner, a 2014 Ford Expedition and a 2015 Ford Explorer, the arrest affidavit said.
A witness told police they saw the 4Runner turn left in front of the speeding Explorer, from southbound Kipling onto eastbound Mississippi, while the light was green, and saw the vehicles’ impact at a high rate of speed.
The driver and passenger of the 4Runner — Dalton Smith, 28, and Demi Iglesias, 26 — were taken to CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital, where they later died from their injuries, according to Lakewood police.
Gregory Giles was driving the Explorer with his other son, Brayden, in the vehicle while Bryce Giles was driving the Expedition, according to the affidavit.
Brayden Giles told police they were on their way to go bowling and were driving the speed limit. However, Gregory Giles was seen by traffic cameras and witnesses racing the Explorer, repeatedly driving side by side and exceeding the 45 mph speed limit.
Camera footage showed both the Expedition and Explorer were traveling “faster than normal traffic flow,” according to the affidavit. Police analyzed both vehicles’ data recorders and found the Expedition and Explorer were travelling 99.4 mph and 93 mph, respectively, five seconds before their airbags deployed, according to the affidavit.
In addition, while agents were at the scene of the crash, they reported finding two empty alcohol “shooters,” or 50ml bottles. One of the bottles was 99 Brand Black Cherry and the other was 99 Brand Apples, both labeled as 99 proof alcohol.
The bottles were located in plain view in the driver’s side footwell of the Ford Explorer that Gregory Giles was driving, according to the affidavit.
When police asked Brayden Giles if he had seen his father drink any alcohol prior to the crash, Brayden Giles said that he and his father had each drunk one beer, according to the arrest affidavit.
Brayden Giles told police his brother Bryce had also drunk beer before leaving. When asked how much alcohol Bryce had consumed, Giles said, “I think he had a lot,” according to the affidavit.
When police asked Gregory Giles, he said he had consumed a couple of shots of Jack Daniel’s whiskey before driving, according to the affidavit. Police obtained a warrant to take his blood to test for alcohol, but those results were not available at the time the arrest affidavit was written.
Traffic investigators wrote in the affidavit that Gregory, Bryce and Brayden were trying to conceal their vehicles’ speeds at the time of the collision, hide alcohol consumption and cover up leaving Gregory’s house together in an attempt to reduce their culpability.
The affidavit stated that Bryce Giles’ reckless driving and participation in the race directly contributed to the collision, which caused the deaths of Smith and Iglesias and serious injuries to his brother, Brayden Giles.
Gregory and Bryce Miles were both in custody Friday on $250,000 cash bail, according to Jefferson County inmate records. They are both set to appear in court Wednesday.
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