Man gets 12-year prison sentence for causing deadly high-speed crash in Mesa

PHOENIX – A motorist was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in prison for causing a deadly high-speed crash in Mesa over two years ago, authorities said.

Ian Omar De La Pena, 36, previously pleaded guilty to charges of second-degree murder and leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in injury or death.

Several drug charges were dismissed as part of his plea deal.

He was ordered to undergo seven years of probation after his release from prison, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said De La Pena had drugs in his system and was driving over 110 mph before the July 2023 collision.

Details about deadly high-speed crash in Mesa

He allegedly ran a red light while speeding south on Greenfield Road near McKellips Road and rear-ended a car that was stopped in the left-turn lane. The car was pushed into the intersection, where it struck other vehicles.

De La Pena tried fleeing on foot afterward, but witnesses helped police find him nearby.

One person died in the crash.

“This case is a reminder that choices behind the wheel can turn catastrophic in seconds,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a press release Wednesday. “Driving while impaired and at extreme speeds is not an accident, it is a decision, and today’s sentence makes clear that those decisions carry serious consequences.”

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