A beloved Georgia school teacher is the latest victim of a traffic fatality involving an illegal immigrant driver who fled from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Oscar Vasquez Lopez, a Guatemalan national with a final order of removal, was arrested on vehicular homicide charges following the crash on Monday, Feb. 16 in Savannah, Ga.
Vasquez Lopez, 38, allegedly made a U-turn, ran a red light and struck and killed an innocent motorist while trying to evade ICE. He now faces charges of first-degree homicide by vehicle, reckless driving, driving without a valid license and failure to obey a traffic control device, according to the Chatham County Police Department.
In a news release, the Department of Homeland Security said ICE officers were attempting to apprehend Vasquez Lopez. They observed him get into a vehicle and attempted a traffic stop.
Vasquez Lopez initially complied, but then fled the scene and collided into a civilian vehicle, DHS said.
Vasquez Lopez was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge in 2024. He entered the U.S. illegally at an unknown date and location, DHS said.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, who recently announced she was leaving her role with the Trump administration, attributed the tragedy to “months of sanctuary politicians encouraging and instructing illegal aliens to resist and evade federal law enforcement.”
Attempting to flee from federal law enforcement or weaponize a vehicle to resist arrest is both a crime and dangerous.
“This vehicular homicide is an absolute tragedy and deadly consequence of politicians and the media constantly demonizing ICE officers and encouraging those here illegally to resist arrest—a felony,” McLaughlin said.
The driver who died was identified as Dr. Linda Davis, a special education teacher at Hesse K-8 School, who was headed to work at the nearby school.
The drivers of both vehicles were transported to the hospital, where Davis was pronounced deceased.
Savannah-Chatham County school officials said Davis was beloved by the school community.
“She dedicated her career to ensuring that every child felt supported, valued, and capable of success,” Principal Alonna McMullen said in a news release. “Her kindness, patience, and enthusiasm created a nurturing environment for her students and inspired those around her.”
The fatal crash occurred around 7:45 a.m. on Feb. 16 on Whitefield Avenue at the Truman Parkway intersection, which is less than a half-mile from the school. Photos from the scene show Davis’ badly damaged vehicle.
A witness, Katie Oakley, told WJCL News she was driving behind Davis when she heard squealing tires and the crash.
Oakley said she saw a truck jump the median crash into Davis’ vehicle, which absorbed the impact that could have struck her own car.
When asked if ICE was chasing Vasquez Lopez, ICE spokesperson Lindsay Williams told The Associated Press: “Chased? I wouldn’t say that. They followed him until he crashed.”
Security camera video obtained by WTOC-TV showed a red pickup truck moving at high speed past Herman W. Hesse K-8 School on Monday morning. A second vehicle with flashing lights can be seen following the truck about five seconds later at a similar speed, and another vehicle with lights flashing pass several seconds after that.
Local police said they were not aware of or involved in the federal operation or the attempted stop or pursuit of Vasquez Lopez.
“According to preliminary findings, we believe the pursuit was relatively short in duration and distance,” said Chatham County police spokesperson Betsy Nolen, who noted the investigation is ongoing.
A second bystander vehicle was also involved in the incident, but no injuries were reported and no one from that vehicle required medical treatment, Fox News Digital reported.
One local outlet, WJCL 22 News, opted to focus on the illegal immigrant driver and the ensuing protests blaming ICE after the deadly crash.
They interviewed Vasquez Lopez’s wife who said she is heartbroken over the situation, adding “‘I’ll leave too’” if he is deported.
“He’s a good person, loving, very affectionate, hardworking,” she told WJCL News. “Yesterday, he just went out to work, but what happened, happened, and all the blame is being put on him.”
Vasquez Lopez was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and later charged by the Chatham County Police Department with vehicular homicide.
NEW: Public defender for Oscar Vasquez-Lopez, the illegal who reportedly K*LLED a teacher after fleeing ICE, says he deserves bond because ICE conducted "paramilitary operations" and an "illegal pursuit."
He shouldn't even be here, and now he wants bondpic.twitter.com/gNaXIeXh7T https://t.co/oI6qjSUfd8
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 19, 2026
Georgia Republican Senate candidate and Rep. Buddy Carter linked Davis’ death to Democratic opposition to ICE enforcement and accused them of having “Georgians’ blood on their hands.”
“This should have never happened,” Carter said Wednesday on “Fox & Friends.”
Carter blamed Democrat officials for demonizing ICE and encouraging people not to cooperate with them while also ignoring the victims of illegal immigrant crime. He cited the 2024 murder of nursing student Laken Riley, who was killed by an illegal immigrant near the University of Georgia campus.
“First, it was Laken Riley. Now, it’s Linda Davis, a beloved teacher at one of the best elementary schools that we have,” Carter said. “This has got to stop.”
Carter also called out his opponent, Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., for undermining federal immigration enforcement efforts.
“That’s why I’m running for the Senate to replace Jon Ossoff, because he’s more concerned about illegal immigrants and getting them healthcare benefits and protecting them than he is about Georgians,” Carter said.
In another recent high-speed pursuit in California that involved local police, a Colombian national, Darwin Felipe Bahamon Martinez, 21, fled from Anaheim Police and caused a violent and fiery crash that left an innocent motorist dead and an elderly woman injured.
Martinez faces vehicular manslaughter and felony evading causing injury or death after driving recklessly and plowing his Jeep Gladiator into the 59-year-old man’s car.
The illegal immigrant was released under the Biden administration’s “catch-and-release” policies. ICE also lodged an arrest detainer against Martinez and confirmed he illegally entered the United States near Chula Vista, Calif., in August 2023.
DHS noted that illegal immigrants have gotten more brazen in their attempts to flee from ICE, and these deadly incidents have increased across the country.
Reckless and inflammatory rhetoric by Democrat politicians hasn’t helped. Illegal immigrants are being encouraging to resist arrest by sanctuary politicians who have held webinars and provided resources and tips for how to openly defy ICE, according to DHS.
They have weaponized their vehicles to ram ICE vehicles and agents, caused deadly car crashes by driving recklessly or tried to flee inside schools, daycare centers and workplaces to evade arrest.
“These dangerous tactics are putting people’s lives at risk,” McLaughlin said. “Fleeing from and resisting federal law enforcement is not only a crime but extraordinarily dangerous and puts oneself, our officers, and innocent civilians at risk.”
