Halloween Hit-and-Run Suspect Has DUI Record

The man accused of killing three 13-year-old girls in a Halloween hit-and-run should never have been behind the wheel. Court records show that Jaquinn Bell, who had his two teenage children in the car at the time of the incident, was driving on a suspended license and has violated probation at least seven times since 2009, when he was arrested for domestic abuse, driving under the influence, and driving on a suspended license, the Los Angeles Times reports. He was convicted of hit-and-run driving, driving under the influence, and child endangerment on Aug. 4 and had his license suspended. DMV records show that it was suspended again for excessive alcohol on Oct. 4, KABC reports.

After Bell's August conviction, he was ordered to enroll in treatment programs for alcohol abuse and child abuse. Police initially arrested several people over the Santa Ana deaths but have now released everyone except Bell. Investigators are now trying to determine whether the 31-year-old was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. A police spokesman tells KTLA that a Honda SUV found abandoned after the incident had significant damage and "there's no doubt in my mind that anybody who was driving in a vehicle that impacted three individuals ... probably knew they hit something." (More hit-and-run stories.)