Driver arrested after deadly downtown L.A. crash
The 20-year-old woman, who police say smashed her Audi into a parked car and killed a man inside, has been charged with murder.
A 20-year-old woman is in custody for causing the fiery, multi-car accident in downtown Los Angeles that left one person dead and three hospitalized Thursday night.
Nicole Jiyoung Park of Los Angeles was arrested and charged with murder after she crashed her Audi into a parked car and killed its driver, then careened into two other cars. Park had consumed narcotics earlier in the day, said Los Angeles Police Officer Elizabeth Felix.
Park was driving south on San Pedro Street near 7th Street about 7 p.m. when she crashed into a car parked near the northwest curb. The parked car skidded out of control, knocking over a fire hydrant and smashing into a traffic signal, when it became engulfed in flames, said Felix, who works with the Central traffic division.
The parked car's male occupant, Isau Deleon, 42, died at the scene.
"It was completely ablaze," said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey. "It was clear that [the driver] was beyond our help."
Firefighters worked to douse the burning car with water, but couldn't approach the vehicle because electricity from the damaged signal was coursing through the drenched car. By the time they could approach, it was impossible to tell if the driver was male or female, Humphrey said.
Park's 2008 Audi S4 also smashed into two more vehicles stopped at a traffic light at San Pedro.
Park and a male passenger were both transported to County-USC Medical Center for injuries: She was treated for face and shoulder abrasions, and he sustained a laceration to his pelvic area.
A bystander struck by flying debris was also hospitalized.
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