Brayan Camacho Calleja, better known as the Mexican rapper El Moreno Mexicano, was arrested in Indianapolis after a fatal vehicle crash in downtown.
Camacho Calleja has been preliminarily charged with driving under the influence resulting in death, driving under the influence while endangering a person, driving under the influence with a blood alcohol level over .08 and driving without a license in connection with the Sept. 20 crash.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office will determine official charges.
The crash occurred shortly before 3 a.m. Sept. 20 at the intersection of North East Street and East Ohio Street.
When Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers arrived, they discovered that a red Dodge Charger, which Camacho Calleja had been driving, was involved in a two-vehicle crash with a black GMC Yukon. The passenger in the GMC, Aaron Deandre Radford, 31, of Indianapolis was ejected during the crash. He was pronounced dead after being taken to Methodist Hospital.
Indianapolis officers, who were sitting in a nearby parking lot, witnessed the red Dodge Charger slide along the road, over the sidewalk and hit an apartment building at 530 East Ohio St.
As police approached the vehicle, they saw Camacho Calleja and a woman exit the vehicle and attempt to walk away, according to court documents.
The two were taken to a nearby hospital to address their injuries suffered in the crash. Police noticed that Camacho Calleja’s breath gave off a strong alcoholic smell whenever he spoke and that he had “bloodshot and glossy eyes,” according to court documents.
Officers learned that Camacho Calleja was not licensed to drive in Indiana. The only form of identification he had was a Mexican Consulate Card, which is an ID for natives of Mexico living outside the country.
Officers attempted to conduct a blood alcohol level test on Camacho Calleja, but he refused. Officers eventually administered the test after they were granted a warrant.
As of reporting, IMPD had not received the results from the ethanol test and toxicology screening.
Who is El Moreno Mexicano
Camacho Calleja, is an Afro-Latino rapper well-known for his songs, “A Lo Mexicano,” “Vato Loco,” and “Soy El Diablo,” which have garnered millions of views on YouTube. He also averages about 74,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
Camacho Calleja was born in Mexico and eventually moved to Indiana at the age of 16 years old with his father. While living in Indiana, Camacho Calleja started his rap career, according to his younger brother, Elvis Josue Camacho Calleja, an Orange County, California-based rapper known as DrexTheJoint.
In 2018, Camacho Calleja debuted as El Moreno Mexicano on YouTube with his first song, “Las Relaciones.” However, it wasn’t until 2020, when Camacho Calleja started releasing songs on Soundcloud, YouTube and other music streaming applications.
He slowly gained a following on social media platforms, eventually gaining over a million followers on his TikTok page, where he posts clips from his music videos, comedic skits and personal stories about his life.
“My brother really came from nothing,” Elvis Josue Camacho Calleja said about his brother during an interview on the Eyekon TV YouTube channel. “Ever since he started, we already knew that he had talent.”
Camacho Calleja shared in that interview how he always encouraged his younger brother to follow his dreams and to continue his rap career, which eventually took off in Southern California.
A few days before the car crash, Camacho Calleja had released a new single and music video for his song, “I Am Mexican-El Moreno Mexicano,” which has gained over 136,000 views on YouTube.
Reactions to Camacho Calleja’s arrest
After Camacho Calleja’s arrest, his brother shared his sadness over the news.
In a story on his Instagram account, Elvis Josue Camacho Calleja said his brother was building his music career and working hard to rise through those ranks only to lose it all “within a snap.”
“It’s a tragedy for both families,” Elvis Josue Camacho Calleja said.
Noe Padilla is a public safety reporter for IndyStar. Contact him at npadilla@indystar.com, follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Mexican artist El Moreno Mexicano arrested in Indianapolis after fatal crash on Saturday
Reporting by Noe Padilla, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
