A well-known El Paso artist changing a tire on I-10 East was killed after a car veered into the shoulder lane and struck the man's car, resulting in the death of the man and the car's driver, authorities said.
Michael Isaiah Sepulveda, 27, was driving a 2014 Hyundai Accent about 1:40 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, on Interstate 10 East near Copia Street when he veered right and crossed all lanes into the emergency shoulder, El Paso Police Department spokesman Officer Adrian Cisneros said in a news release.
Sepulveda, while in the emergency shoulder lane, was driving at a high rate of speed until he crashed into the back of a 2021 Mazda 3, the news release states.
Omar Rene Botello,
31, was changing the Mazda's tire and was struck during the collision. Botello died at the crash scene.
Sepulveda was taken to a hospital, where he later died from his injuries, the news release states. Police believe speed and alcohol may be contributing factors in this collision.
Botello was a three-time World Rolling Champion, a skill-based contest developed to allow artists the ability to show their creativity in using rolling paper to roll materials, the competition's organizer, RAW, said in a social media post.
This is the 31st and 32nd traffic-related deaths of 2026 compared to 34 at this same time last year.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 3-time World Rolling Champion killed in I-10 shoulder collision
