Huntington Beach : Arrests Made in Alleged Drunk-Driving Crashes

A 17-year-old Westminster youth was reported in serious but stable condition at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital Monday after the car he was driving was involved in a collision.

Brian McCarthy suffered head injuries when his car collided with one driven by Delfino Vargas, 24, of Anaheim at Beach Boulevard and Warner Avenue at 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Huntington Beach police said Monday.

Vargas failed to stop for a red light, police said. He was treated for cuts and bruises and released, a Fountain Valley Regional Hospital spokeswoman said.

Police said that Vargas was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving and that McCarthy also was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor drunk driving.

The accident was one of three drunk-driving incidents that occurred in Huntington Beach during the early-morning hours Sunday.

Thirty minutes earlier, a Newport Beach woman drove her car off Pacific Coast Highway near Golden West Street and plunged 40 feet onto the beach after hitting two parking meters, Huntington Beach police said. The driver, Stephanie Richardson, 26, sustained minor injuries and was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving. Her passenger, Lynn Desarro, 24, of Newport Beach, was hospitalized in stable condition, officers said.

At about 4 a.m., Huntington Beach police said Mekonnen Wold of Midway City drove his car over a stop sign and became trapped underneath the vehicle, requiring rescue efforts by firefighters. He was arrested on charges of misdemeanor drunk driving, police said.