SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A Guatemalan driver fleeing a Georgia traffic stop by federal immigration officers crashed into another vehicle, killing a teacher who was headed to work, authorities and school officials said.
Oscar Vasquez Lopez, the driver accused of causing the Monday crash just outside of Savannah, remained jailed Tuesday on charges including vehicular homicide, reckless driving and driving without a valid license. Lopez, 38, is in the U.S. illegally, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Immigration officers were looking for Lopez to enforce an immigration judge's 2024 deportation order, ICE spokesperson Lindsay Williams said Tuesday, noting that Lopez has no other criminal history.
Lopez pulled over when ICE officers used sirens and blue lights to initiate a traffic stop, but then drove away when they approached his vehicle, Williams said. Lopez made a U-turn and ran a stop light before he crashed, ICE said in a news release.
Asked if the ICE officers chased Lopez, Williams said: “Chased? I wouldn't say that. They followed him until he crashed.”
Williams said he didn't know how far Lopez fled before he crashed.
“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.
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. The footage showed a vehicle with flashing lights follow about five seconds later at a similar speed, and another vehicle with lights flashing pass several seconds after that.
News video from the crash scene showed one of the vehicles involved in the wreck was a red pickup.
Savannah-Chatham County school officials identified the woman killed as Linda Davis, a special education teacher at the school.
Davis was beloved by the school community, Principal Alonna McMullen said.
“She dedicated her career to ensuring that every child felt supported, valued, and capable of success," McMullen said in a news release. "Her kindness, patience, and enthusiasm created a nurturing environment for her students and inspired those around her.”
The crash happened less than a half-mile (0.8 kilometers) from the school. Though students were off Monday for Presidents Day, teachers reported to work. Davis was driving to school when she was killed, school system spokesperson Sheila Blanco said.
Lopez remained jailed Tuesday. He is being representing by a public defender in Chatham County, said Don Plummer, a spokesman for the Georgia Public Defender Council.
“We recognize the community’s concern and extend condolences to those harmed,” Plummer said by email. “Mr. Lopez is presumed innocent. We will review the evidence and address it where it belongs — in court, not in the press.”
Federal immigration officers have faced increased scrutiny for their aggressive tactics during the Trump administration's nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration, especially since they shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
In a statement, Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, blamed “politicians and the media constantly demonizing ICE officers and encouraging those here illegally to resist arrest.”
Chatham County police said in a statement that they were unaware of the ICE operation and traffic stop before the deadly crash.
Chester Ellis, chairman of the Chatham County Board of Commissioners, noted that county police are constrained by a policy that allows vehicle pursuits only when officers believe a suspect has committed or is attempting to commit a violent felony. But he said county officers, had ICE requested their assistance, could have helped cut off the suspect's escape without a pursuit that endangered other drivers.
“If that had been the case yesterday, then Dr. Davis would still be alive,” Ellis said. “My personal feeling is that one life lost is too many, especially when you’re taking about a precious teacher.”
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson also questioned whether Davis' death might have been prevented.
“I’ve always been and remain very concerned about the activities of ICE in cities, particularly where they’re not coordinating or communicating,” Johnson, a former police officer, told reporters Tuesday.
He added: “What this individual was wanted for, did it necessitate the end result?"
This image taken from video provided by WTOC-TV shows law enforcement responding to the scene of a fatal car crash, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, in Savannah, Ga. (WTOC-TV via AP)
NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — People leaned out of wrought iron balconies, hollering the iconic phrase “Throw me something, Mister” as a massive Mardi Gras parade rolled down New Orleans' historic St. Charles Avenue on Tuesday.
Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, marks the climax and end of the weekslong Carnival season and a final chance for indulgence, feasting and revelry before the Christian Lent period of sacrifice and reflection. The joyous goodbye to Carnival always falls the day before Ash Wednesday.
In Louisiana’s most populous city, which is world-famous for its Mardi Gras bash, people donned green, gold and purple outfits, with some opting for an abundance of sequins and others showing off homemade costumes.
The revelers began lining the streets as the sun rose. They set up chairs, coolers, grills and ladders — offering a higher vantage point.
As marching bands and floats filled with women wearing massive feathered headdresses passed by, the music echoing through the city streets, people danced and cheered. Others sipped drinks, with many opting for adult concoctions on the day of celebration rather than the usual morning coffee.
Each parade has its signature “throws” — trinkets that include plastic beads, candy, doubloons, stuffed animals, cups and toys. Hand-decorated coconuts are the coveted item from Zulu, a massive parade named after the largest ethnic group in South Africa.
As a man, dressed like a crawfish — including red fabric claws for hands — caught one of the coconuts, he waved it around, the gold glitter on the husk glistening in the sun.
Sue Mennino was dressed in a white Egyptian-inspired costume, complete with a gold headpiece and translucent cape. Her face was embellished with glitter and electric blue eyeshadow.
“The world will be here tomorrow, but today is a day off and a time to party,” Mennino said.
The party isn’t solely confined to the parade route. Throughout the French Quarter, people celebrated in the streets, on balconies and on the front porches of shotgun-style homes.
One impromptu parade was led by a man playing a washboard instrument and dressed as a blue alligator — his paper-mache tail dragging along the street, unintentionally sweeping up stray beads with it. A brass band played “The Saints” as people danced.
In Jackson Square, the costumed masses included a man painted from head to toe as a zebra, a group cosplaying as Hungry Hungry Hippos from the tabletop game and a diver wearing an antique brass and copper helmet.
“The people are the best part,” said Martha Archer, who was dressed as Madame Leota, the disembodied medium whose head appears within a crystal ball in the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disney amusement parks.
Archer’s face was painted blue and her outfit was a makeshift table that came up to her neck — giving the appearance that she was indeed a floating head.
“Everybody is just so happy,” she explained.
The good times will roll not just in New Orleans but across the state, from exclusive balls to the Cajun French tradition of the Courir de Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday Run — a rural event in Central Louisiana featuring costumed participants performing, begging for ingredients and chasing live chickens to be cooked in a communal gumbo.
Parades are also held in other Gulf Coast cities such as Mobile, Alabama, and Pensacola, Florida, and there are other world-renowned celebrations in Brazil and Europe.
One of the quirkiest is an international Pancake Day competition pitting the women of Liberal, Kansas, against the women of Olney, England. Pancakes are used because they were thought to be a good way for Christians to consume the fat they were supposed to give up during the 40 days before Easter.
Contestants must carry a pancake in a frying pan and flip the pancake at the beginning and end of the 415-yard (380-meter) race.
Attendees march during the annual Society of Saint Anne parade on Mardi Gras Day, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in New Orleans. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
Attendees march during the annual Society of Saint Anne parade on Mardi Gras Day, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, in New Orleans. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
Zulu King Dr. Ron Tassin parades on Mardi Gras Day, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
Zulu Tramps parade on Mardi Gras Day in New Orleans, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
A member of the Krewe of Zulu offers up coconuts on Mardi Gras Day, Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, right, attends the annual Krewe of Muses parade during the Mardi Gras season on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in New Orleans. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
Attendees participate in the annual Krewe of Muses parade during the Mardi Gras season on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in New Orleans. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
