A 27-year old man in the U.S. illegally has been charged with vehicular homicide, DUI, and leaving the scene of an accident after allegedly causing a wrong-way crash on I-640 West over the weekend that left one dead.
On Sunday night at around 7:15 p.m., a passenger vehicle that was reportedly traveling the wrong direction collided with a westbound motorcycle on I-640 West near the Broadway exit and fled the scene immediately following the crash, according to the Knoxville Police Department (KPD).
The motorcyclist, which KPD identified as an adult man, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
The owner of the vehicle that fled the scene prior to officer arrival, identified by KPD on Monday as Eric Ramon Alcantara-Guevara, was located shortly after the crash by responding officers nearby in the 4600 block of Old Broadway and taken into custody.
Arrest records provided by the Knox County Sheriff’s Office show Alcantara-Guevara is being held under an immigration detainer issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Further, the records indicate Alcantara-Guevara is being held without bond on several counts, has an active pre-trial warrant with a $125,000 bond for vehicular homicide, and is scheduled to appear in court on February 26, while remaining subject to the ICE hold should he otherwise become eligible for release.
Tennessee U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) commented on the developments surrounding the fatal crash, saying, “This tragedy should have never happened,” and adding that Alcantara-Guevara “must face the full wrath of American justice and should be deported.”
Sunday’s incident follows a similar fatal Tennessee crash last month in which federal officials said a Chinese national who entered the U.S. illegally in 2023 and was able to obtain a Class B CDL caused a deadly multi-vehicle collision on I-40.
The Knox County Sheriff’s Office partners with ICE under the 287(g) Jail Enforcement Model, assisting in the identification and processing of individuals with criminal or pending criminal charges who may be subject to federal immigration enforcement.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Eric Ramon Alcantara-Guevara” by Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
