An alleged DUI driver is behind bars after a violent two-car crash early Sunday on Reseda Boulevard in Porter Ranch that left one person dead, according to police. The overnight wreck has triggered a full Valley Traffic Division investigation into whether impairment was a factor.
According to CBS News Los Angeles, the collision was reported at about 2:20 a.m. One driver, who was the only person in that vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene, and their identity was withheld. The other driver was taken to a local hospital and is expected to be booked on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and causing a collision that resulted in a death, while a passenger in that vehicle was treated for minor injuries.
LAPD Had DUI Operations Scheduled Across the Valley
The deadly crash unfolded on a weekend when the Los Angeles Police Department had already rolled out DUI checkpoints and saturation patrols across the city, including a saturation patrol planned in Van Nuys on Sunday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Officials say checkpoints and saturation patrols are deployed based on crash data and are designed both to educate motorists and to pull suspected impaired drivers off the road.
Investigation and Possible Charges
Valley Traffic detectives are leading the case and will work with prosecutors if criminal charges are filed. As detailed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, DUI incidents that result in a death can be prosecuted as felony DUI or vehicular homicide, and the office has broadened training and resources in response to an increase in impaired-driving prosecutions.
No further information was immediately released, and investigators had not yet disclosed the identity of the person who died, CBS News Los Angeles reports. Detectives are asking anyone with information about the crash to contact the LAPD Valley Traffic Division as the investigation continues.
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