Suspected drunk driver Steven Schwally in fatal Deer Park nail salon crash due in court for arraignment
RIVERHEAD, New York (WABC) — The suspected drunk driver who crashed into a Long Island nail salon, killing four people, is expected to appear in court Thursday.
Prosecutors say Steven Schwally was the driver seen on surveillance video whose car sped off and crashed into a nail salon in Deer Park.
Schwally, 64, is expected to appear in court at 9:30 a.m.
He was charged with four counts of second-degree murder, among other charges.
Prosecutors say Schwally’s speech was slurred, his eyes were bloodshot and his breath smelled of alcohol at the time of his arrest in June.
The Navy veteran was also arrested in 2013 for drunk driving.
Surveillance video captured the terrifying moments Schwally’s Chevy Traverse crashed through the front glass doors of the Hawaii Nail Spa as employees and customers sat inside on a Friday afternoon.
The horrific scene became a growing memorial for the victims; nine people were injured.
Four people were killed: the salon owner, known as Ken Chen, two employees, Yan Xu and Meizi Zhang, and Emilia Rennack, a 34-year-old off-duty NYPD officer who was there getting her nails done before a wedding.
Schwally told police he had 18 beers the night before the crash, but had stopped drinking at 4 a.m.
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