Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announces that Luke A. Darling, 43, of Buffalo, was arraigned yesterday afternoon before State Supreme Court Justice Betty Calvo-Torres on an indictment charging him with one count of Aggravated Vehicular Assault (Class “C” felony).
It is alleged that on Sunday, March 30, 2025, at approximately 5:30 p.m., the defendant was recklessly operating a vehicle at a high rate of speed while under the influence of alcohol when he caused a collision with another vehicle on Columbia Avenue in the Town of Lancaster. The victim, an 18-year-old male, was taken by ambulance to ECMC where he remains hospitalized with serious physical injuries.
Darling is scheduled to return for a pre-trial conference before Erie County Court Judge Suzanne Maxwell Barnes on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. He was held without bail.
If convicted of the charge, Darling faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
DA Keane commends Detective Shaun DiMino of the Town of Lancaster Police Department for his work in this investigation.
The case is being prosecuted by Chief Patrick B. Shanahan and Assistant District Attorney Christine O. Murray of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau.
As are all persons accused of a crime, the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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