Watch CBS News

Store's Liquor License Suspended After Deadly California Bus Crash

FRESNO (AP) — State officials have suspended the liquor license of a store that furnished alcohol to an underage driver who caused a Greyhound bus crash near Fresno that killed five people including a Sacramento man.

The California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control suspended the license of Fresno's A-1 Liquor & Deli on Wednesday.

Officials say store co-owner Mohamed Alyafaie sold two bottles of vodka to a 21-year-old woman. But 18-year-old Sylvia Garay carried the alcohol to the counter and was present during the transaction.

A California Highway Patrol report placed sole blame for the July 2010 crash on Garay. Investigators say she was drunk when she crashed her SUV on Highway 99, then was struck by the bus.

Garay, her two passengers and three people on the bus were killed including the bus driver, James Jewitt of Sacramento.

The suspension will be lifted once the business is sold to a new owner.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.