CLARKSVILLE, TN : Driver charged after crash kills 2 teens in Clarksville on Sunday 23rd October 2016

A man is charged with vehicular homicide after a crash killed two people in Clarksville early Sunday morning.

Ho Young Kang, a Georgia resident, allegedly crashed into the victims' car on 101st Airborne Division Pkwy at around 1:25 a.m.

Kang is also charged with DUI and failure to obey a traffic signal. He is being held on $2.5 million bond.

The two victims, 18-year-old Samia T Lucas and 18-year-old Joshua A Guillen Lopez, are both from Clarksville.

"She was one of those bright shining stars, diamonds in the rough that wanted to see other people succeed," said Clarksville City Councilman Richard Garrett, speaking on Lucas.

Garrett's the executive director at LEAP in Clarksville, a mentorship program teaching young people life skills and moral growth.

"It could be anything from feeding the homeless to doing the city beautification process," he said.

It was through LEAP Garrett came to know Lucas, a West Creek High grad with a heart and a work ethic.

"She was kind of like a peer mentor, just encouraging them to be themselves," he said. "You could tell she had that zest for life, for new adventure.

"We got the text notifying us, and it just kind of blew us away," added Garrett, remembering getting the news of Lucas' passing. "The anguish came over just seeing such a bright light snuffed out way too early."

Garrett said the charges are especially hard to hear with LEAP strongly fighting against substance abuse.

"That was a willful decision to put yourself in the position where life and death is in your hands," he said.

Garrett said the passing of the teens brings a hard lesson to the young people LEAP mentors.

"For them to see somebody that they knew, they grew up with, to have their lives taken at the behest of alcohol, I would hope would discourage them from that," he said. "You have to deal with the consequences once that high or that buzz is gone."

Garrett said he's having a psychologist come by LEAP Monday night. He said he wants someone to talk to the kids and help them cope with the loss.

Source :
Driver charged after crash kills 2 teens in Clarksville