Alex Nieves, 18, was arrested after the SUV he was driving slammed into a tree, injuring six people, two critically, early this morning, according to the O.C. Register.
Nieves, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, after police found a tank of nitrous oxide in the vehicle.
Nitroux oxide, which is commonly known as laughing gas, may have played a role in the car crash.
The crash took place at Harbor Boulevard near Edinger Avenue, just after midnight. The six occupants of the SUV were between 18 years old to their mid-20s, according to the Fountain Valley Police. They were all hospitalized after the crash.
The police believe all of the occupants were “under the influence of a variety of substances.”
Dentists use nitrous oxide as a form of anesthesia and it is also used to pressurize whipped cream canisters and it can also speed up drag racing cars. However it is also popular as a party drug and using it illegally has led to traffic accidents, rapes and teenage deaths.
