Features

Police made an arrest Friday in connection with a fiery big-rig collision that killed three UC Berkeley students in 2005, the California Highway Patrol announced.  

San Francisco resident Eric Barnes, 26, was taken into custody on suspicion of three counts of vehicular manslaughter in connection with the crash, which occurred in the early morning hours of July 16, 2005, according to CHP spokesman Trent Cross. Berkeley students Benjamin Boussert, 27, Jason Choy, 29, and Giulia Adesso, 26, were all killed in the collision, which occurred when racing vehicles on westbound Interstate Highway 580 near Ashby Avenue caused a big-rig to catch fire and cross into the eastbound lanes early that morning, Cross said.  

Several eastbound vehicles were unable to avoid a collision with the burning big-rig, including the Toyota Camry carrying the three students.  

A special task force that included officials from the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office and the Oakland office of the California Highway Patrol was formed to investigate the collision, Cross said.  

Nearly two years after the fatal incident investigators were able to obtain an arrest warrant for Barnes, as well as at least one other suspect whose arrest is pending, according to Cross.  

Barnes is currently being held in North County jail on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter.