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Driver sentenced to 14 years for high-speed pursuit in San Tan Valley that killed 3 teens

Juan Sanchez was only 17 when he was arrested in 2019 for causing a crash in Pinal County that killed three teenagers.

SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. — A 21-year-old man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison after he attempted to flee from the Pinal County Sheriff's Office in 2019 and caused a traffic collision that killed three teenagers.

Juan Sanchez was only 17 when he was arrested in February 2019 following a deadly crash in San Tan Valley. 

The now-21-year-old defendant recently pleaded guilty to three counts of manslaughter and was sentenced last month to more than a decade in the Arizona Department of Corrections. 

The Pinal County Attorney's Office said deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Sanchez's car but the driver proceeded to drive erratically and at speeds exceeding 100 mph. Sanchez eventually lost control of the car and struck a concrete structure. 

Three teenage passengers in Sanchez's vehicle were killed. The victims were identified as 18-year-old Amonte Deshawn Jones of Mesa, 18-year-old Chase James Bulmahn of San Tan Valley, and a 16-year-old.

At the time of the crash, officials reported finding several firearms inside the suspect's car.

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