A Harrisburg taxi driver whose minivan collided with three motorcycles in Penn Township in June, killing five riders, has been charged with vehicular homicide.

Alfred Moore, 64, of Harrisburg, who has a long list of prior motor vehicle code violations, was taken into custody Thursday night and placed in Lancaster County Prison after failing to post $50,000 bail. He faces five counts of homicide by vehicle and numerous other charges in the June 27 crash.

A person who was in Moore's cab before the deadly collision told investigators that he demanded to be let out of the vehicle because of the way Moore was driving, according to a criminal complaint filed in the case.

Moore, who has had diabetes for 15 years, was suffering from severe hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, at the time of the 5 p.m. crash because he had skipped lunch earlier in the day, according to the criminal complaint.

The condition caused him to drive erratically, lose control of the van and cross into oncoming traffic on Route 72, where he struck the three motorcycles, authorities said. It is unclear whether he lost consciousness.

Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman said Friday afternoon, "Mr. Moore was aware of his condition. He was aware of the inherent risks of his condition if he did not eat. And he chose to take the risk," Stedman said. "The result is that five people are dead and one is seriously injured."

VIDEO: Taxi driver charged in crash that killed 5 motorcyclists

The legal consideration in charging a driver with homicide by vehicle is not intent but recklessness. "He is not charged, and we are not alleging, that this was an intentional act by any stretch of the imagination," Stedman said.

However, Stedman said, Moore's severe hypoglycemia left the cab driver "incapable of operating the vehicle in a safe manner."

Moore told police later that he was aware he needed to eat regular meals, but he said that he had eaten only breakfast at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the crash and a candy bar at 1 p.m.

Courts have upheld convictions in cases in which the defendant was aware of his medical condition but declined to maintain his health, Stedman said. Moore had been hospitalized in Harrisburg for a "diabetic episode" one month before the crash, Stedman said.

Investigators said that just minutes before the fatal crash, a passenger in Moore's van demanded to be let out after becoming afraid for his life.

The passenger, who was traveling to Lancaster from out of town, described Moore's driving as "crazy" and said the cabby was swerving into oncoming traffic and striking road signs as his speed topped 90 to 100 mph, police said.

About a minute after Moore let the passenger out of the van at Manheim Pike and Quarry Road, the traveler heard a "very loud crash," he told police.

The crash happened on Route 72 north of East Petersburg when Moore's northbound Harrisburg City Cab van crossed into oncoming traffic and collided with the three motorcycles, each carrying a driver and passenger.

A witness told police that he was driving ahead of Moore and saw, in his rearview mirror, the taxi begin to swerve into the southbound lane as the motorcycles approached.

"It's as simple as that," Stedman said. "He swerved into their lane of travel and killed the five of them instantly."

Killed were Joshua Pennington, 27, of East Earl Township; Linda Lapp and her husband, Samuel, both 48 and residents of New Holland; and Amy Wilhelm, 50, and her husband Dennis "Butch" Wilhelm, 43, of Manheim Township.

A friend of the Wilhelms, Rick Althouse, said he was saddened to hear the new details of the crash and of Moore's actions that day.

"I'm not out for vengeance at all," he said. "But, because of his negligence, those people are no longer here. That should teach us all a lesson."

A sixth motorcyclist, 27-year-old Kristin Skowood of East Earl Township, was the only survivor among the motorcyclists. She was treated for serious injuries at Lancaster General Hospital and continues to recover at home. The daughter of Linda Lapp, Skowood was engaged to Pennington.

Friends of Skowood declined to comment Friday.

Stedman said the investigation showed the motorcyclists were wearing helmets, driving within their lane and going below the speed limit. Two of them tried to avoid the van but couldn't, he said.

Moore has a lengthy record of motor vehicle code violations that includes speeding and disregarding signs and stoplights, court records show.

The Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era first reported on Moore's driving record July 7. He had racked up two dozen violations and had paid nearly $3,000 in fines since 2002, according to court documents reviewed by this newspaper.

Moore pleaded guilty to all of the citations, the most recent of which were in 2008 for speeding in East Hempfield Township — he was going 83 mph in a 65-mph zone, records state — and for running a red light in Dauphin County.

His license was suspended twice in 2008. It was restored at the beginning of 2009.

Officials with Moore's employer, Harrisburg City Cab Inc., declined to comment when reached Friday.

Lamont Palmer, who is listed in corporation records as president of the cab company, could not be reached for comment at the firm. A woman who answered the phone at a separate firm owned by Palmer said he was not available and hung up on a reporter.

Stedman declined to comment when asked by a reporter whether Moore should have been employed driving a public taxi.

In addition to the vehicular homicide charges, Moore is charged with two counts of recklessly endangering another person, reckless driving and disregarding a traffic lane. If convicted, he would face a maximum of 39 years in prison.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 10 before District Judge Thomas Fee.

The charges were filed Thursday, more than two months after the crash. Stedman said the need to access and review Moore's medical records caused the investigation to take so long.

Rebecca Brooks, who has known Moore for nearly 20 years and took him in after the accident, said the crash weighed heavily on his emotions.

"We think about those families. It's hurting us all so much," Brooks, 75, said in an interview. "He's going through so much. I know he's a good person. I know he would never hurt anybody."

Brooks said that Moore has not been able to work since the accident and was unable to pay to stay at his previous home. "He's not been well enough after the accident. It just did him in. He doesn't sleep at night. I just started getting him to eat again," Brooks said.

Brooks said Moore has rarely talked since moving in, and he recalled few details about the accident.

"He remembers the airbags opening and pushing him," Brooks said. "That's all he says. He doesn't remember hitting anything."

Brooks said Moore does not yet have an attorney.

She said Moore wanted to maintain a steady job as a taxi driver before the crash.

"He was trying to work. He said, 'I don't want to be on assistance.' He's always worked ever since I've known him," Brooks said.

"We pray for those families. We really do," she said.

tmurse@lnpnews.com