California court freed female driver charged with killing cyclist... and now she's killed TWO more people with her car, cops say
Ahkeyajahnique Owens, 24, was promptly freed on October 6 after allegedly speeding into cyclist Raul Augustin Gallopa, 35, in a horror crash that caused him to die from his injuries two weeks later.
By WILL POTTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
Published: 07:12 GMT, 10 January 2026 | Updated: 08:27 GMT, 10 January 2026
A California woman was released by cops after allegedly plowing into a cyclist before causing another accident that killed two people.
Ahkeyajahnique Owens, 24, was promptly freed on October 6 after allegedly speeding into cyclist Raul Augustin Gallopa, 35, in a horror crash that caused him to die from his injuries two weeks later.
Owens was arrested and charged with reckless driving, but was released on her own recognizance and allowed back on the roads while her case waited in the courts.
On January 4, Owens then allegedly sped in her BMW on the streets of Long Beach, running a red light and slamming into a Nissan sedan and Kia Soul at an intersection.
The crash caused the Nissan to flip onto its roof, and two passengers in the vehicle - Bobbi Smith, 24, and Gilberto Lopez, 21 - were ejected and died at the scene, police said.
According to records cited by Mercury News, Owens fled the scene, and was arrested two days later when she turned herself in.
That second arrest led her to be booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter related to the crash that killed Gallopa.
Authorities say they plan to present a separate case for the crash that killed Smith and Lopez next week, with Owens remaining behind bars on a $200,000 bail.
A California woman was released by cops after allegedly plowing into a cyclist before allegedly causing another accident that killed two people. Pictured: A vigil for the victims of the second crash in Long Beach, CA
The second crash on January 4 led to the tragic deaths of Bobbi Smith, 24, (pictured) and Gilberto Lopez, 21, as the alleged driver Ahkeyajahnique Owens, 24, was arrested
In the crash that killed Smith and Lopez, cops said the impact also hospitalized two other occupants of the Nissan.
On January 7, the day after Owens turned herself in, she pleaded guilty to the crash that killed Gallopa on his bike.
Court records showed that she admitted to one count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
With Owens behind bars, tributes poured in for Smith as she was identified as one of the victims who lost her life in the crash.
In a GoFundMe set up by her family, Smith was described as 'a light in the lives of so many people.'
'This loss has left our family devastated. We are still trying to process how someone so full of life can be gone so suddenly,' the family wrote. 'Bobbi made a lasting impact on everyone who knew her.'