4 dead in crash near Coachella

Four people died early Sunday in an auto accident a few miles south of Coachella, including three children who were thrown from a car that spun out and split in half.

The crash occurred about 1 a.m. northeast of the Salton Sea at the intersection of State Route 86 and 62nd Avenue when the driver of a 2009 Cadillac CTS allegedly ran a stop sign and crashed into a 1995 Ford Taurus, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The driver of the Cadillac, Andres Z. Luna, 33, of Thermal, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and on four counts of vehicular manslaughter.

The children -- an 11-month-old, a 7-year-old and an 8-year-old -- and the 30-year-old woman who was driving the Ford were pronounced dead at the scene. A 30-year-old man who was a passenger in the Ford was taken to a hospital.

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ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com