Man faces manslaughter charges in suspected DUI crash in Fresno County

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A man accused of killing four people in a suspected DUI crash in Fresno County will have to wait until next week to go before a judge for the first time.

Wednesday morning, a Fresno County judge postponed an arraignment for Rien Ban. He was arrested on Sunday after crashing into another car at Whitesbridge and Sonoma. Four people died, including two children.

Now, Ban is facing four counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and is being held in the Fresno County Jail. Prosecutors say those charges could be changed to murder if a California Highway Patrol investigation finds sufficient evidence.

Officials say DUI crashes in Fresno County are up 30 percent. During a press conference Wednesday morning, prosecutors said the deaths were preventable.

"These are cases that don't have to happen," said Chief Deputy District Attorney Greg Anderson. "These are cases where a person getting behind the wheel and being impaired can affect the lives of not only the victims in these cases but of the victims' families, the defendants' families, their friends, their employers, the whole community, and this really has to stop."

Officials now say Ban had three previous DUI convictions, and court records show he has at least nine other driving-related convictions. Ban is being held on a $618,000 bond.