CHICAGO — A Venezuelan migrant who has been living at a Lakeview shelter is now in custody, awaiting extradition to Iowa, where he is charged with killing two people in a car crash while driving with THC in his system. Renzo Jose Sira Parra, 27, and two other people were also injured in the December 11 collision, which occurred at a rural intersection in the northwest corner of the state.
Iowa authorities said Sira ran a stop sign as he headed north and collided with a local woman’s car as she headed east. Google Street View images show the intersection, about three miles west of Sioux Center, is surrounded by farmland.
Two men riding the back seat of Sira’s Honda Fit were ejected from the vehicle, officials said: Maikol Segobia, 28, and Alfredo Lira, 24. Both men, who listed Chicago addresses, died at the scene. A third man in Sira’s vehicle was taken to Sioux Falls for advanced medical treatment. None of them were wearing seatbelts.
Sira, the 28-year-old woman, and a 43-year-old man in her car were all wearing seatbelts, according to police. They were injured, but survived the crash, which totaled both vehicles.
After the crash, officials said Sira showed signs of impairment and smelled of marijuana. Toxicology tests allegedly revealed the presence of THC and its metabolites in his system. He admitted to smoking marijuana after waking up on the morning of the crash and before driving, according to Iowa court filings.
Sira returned to the shelter at 640 West Irving Park shortly after the crash, according to a Chicago police report. When Chicago police went to the shelter recently to arrest Sira on behalf of the Iowa State Patrol, an employee denied knowing his whereabouts, the report said.
Ultimately, Town Hall (19th) District tactical officers worked with Sira’s wife to bring him into the district station near Wrigley Field.
He is being held on an Iowa warrant for two counts of homicide by vehicle while under the influence, according to a Cook County court filing.
Sira’s only other arrest in Chicago came last fall when employees at the Uptown Target store accused him of shoplifting about $30 worth of baby clothing. Prosecutors dropped the charges on his first court date.
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