Driver charged in killing of CarMax salesman surrenders to authorities

A Bay Area man who was wanted in connection with killing a CarMax salesman while test driving a Corvette has turned himself in to authorities, prosecutors said.

Alex Demetro, 28, surrendered to authorities at 10:45 a.m. Friday at the San Bernardino County Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga, according to county jail records. He was immediately arraigned and taken into custody, court records show.

The Union City, Calif., resident is scheduled for a bail hearing Tuesday.

Demetro faces one count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, one count of driving under the influence of a drug and causing injury and one count of driving on a suspended license, according to court records.

Prosecutors declared Demetro a fugitive after he failed to appear for a court hearing. A warrant for his arrest was issued and he was charged in the death of 43-year-old Warren Smale, according to court records.

Demetro was arrested Feb. 23 when he crashed the Corvette into a tree about 12:45 p.m. on Mercedes Lane near Concours Street during the test drive, said Sgt. Jeff Higbee of the Ontario Police Department.

He was released from jail the next day after posting $100,000 bail.

Witnesses told police that the driver was traveling at a high speed when he lost control of the Corvette and crashed into the tree.

Smale, a CarMax salesman from Montclair, was a passenger in the car. He was taken to an area hospital in critical condition and was later pronounced dead.

Demetro was “on more than one prescription medication,” Higbee said. Witnesses told KTLA-TV Channel 5 that the vehicle appeared to reach speeds of up to 70 mph.

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