Repeat DUI driver arrested after a car crash that killed a passenger in Santa Ana this morning

On Sunday, April 21, 2024, at approximately 2:08 a.m., the Santa Ana Police Department received multiple calls regarding a single-vehicle collision involving three occupants in the area of 800 S. Main Street.

Responding officers, along with Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA), arrived at the scene and located a truck that had collided with a pole.

OCFA firefighters extricated the male driver and the front female passenger from the truck, and all three occupants were transported to a local hospital.

Tragically, the female passenger succumbed to her injuries at the hospital; the driver and rear male passenger remain at the hospital in stable condition.

Based on the preliminary investigation, it is believed the truck was traveling southbound on Main St. when it lost control, striking a palm tree and coming to a stop against a pole.

Traffic Detectives determined the driver, who had prior DUI arrests, was under the influence of alcohol and possibly drugs.

The driver was arrested for Vehicle Code § 23153(b)—Driving Under the Influence Causing Death and PC § 192(c)(1)—Vehicular Manslaughter with Gross Negligence.

The Santa Ana Police Department’s Collision Investigations Unit (CIU) is investigating this incident.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Corporal D. Carrillo at (714) 245-8208 or the Santa Ana Police Department’s Traffic Division at (714) 245-8200.