At about 6:35 p.m., two officers who were in the area investigating an unrelated case heard a crash. They went to the back of the apartment complex, located at 1427 Phoenix Drive, where they discovered that a 1992 Explorer had crashed into the laundry room area of the building.
Once officers confirmed no one was injured, they evacuated the nearby apartment buildings. The residents of 1427 Phoenix Drive, 1403 Phoenix Drive and 1397 Phoenix Drive were temporarily evacuated until the Fairfield Fire Department arrived and turned off the gas line, according to police.
Firefighters, police officers, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. workers and Ramirez Tow employees worked together to remove the Explorer from the building.
Officers determined that 36-year-old Diomara Barrientos-Galeana gave her 12-year-old son and his 15-year-old friend the keys to her Explorer for them to take garbage to a Dumpster.
The 15-year-old driver lost control of the Explorer and drove into the complex. Both boys fled but were eventually found by police.
The 15-year-old boy was cited and released to his parents, according to the Police Department.
