Teen driver arrested after Alpharetta crash that killed 2 UGA freshmen, high school senior

ALPHARETTA, Ga. — The driver who lost control of a car while speeding last month has been charged with the deaths of three people who died as a result of the crash.

Rithwak Somepalli, 18, was booked into the Fulton County Jail early Wednesday morning, according to jail records. He’s charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and one count of reckless driving.

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The crash happened on Westside Parkway near Maxwell Road to Hembree Road in Alpharetta on May 14.

Two of the people in the car died at the scene. The Fulton County Medical Examiner identified them as Aryan Joshi and Sriya Avasarala, both 18.

A third person, 18-year-old Anvi Sharma, died at the hospital the next day. The medical examiner initially reported that Sharma was the driver, but the Alpharetta Department of Public Safety later corrected that statement to confirm Sharma was a passenger in the backseat of the car.

Avasarala and Sharma were both freshmen at the University of Georgia.

Joshi was a senior at Alpharetta High School, just weeks away from his graduation day.

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After the crash, police identified Somepalli as the driver.

Police said the initial investigation suggests speed was a factor in the crash. Police believe Somepalli lost control and the vehicle flipped and landed upside-down in the tree line.

Somepalli is also a student at UGA.

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Two 18-year-olds identified as victims killed in Alpharetta crash

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