Laguna Beach : Driver Arrested in Crash That Leaves 6 Injured
A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving after he lost control of his sports car early Saturday and slammed head-on into a car filled with four 17-year-olds, police said.
Richard T. Aragon of Westminster was driving eastbound in the 20500 block of Laguna Canyon Road at 5:44 a.m. when he tried to pass another car, Laguna Beach Police Sgt. Linda Parker said.
Aragon lost control of his car, swerved into oncoming traffic and hit a car driven by Mark Pavlinac. The three passengers in Pavlinac’s 1972 Toyoto sedan were Howard Swope, William Valentine of Glendora and John Thomas of West Covina. Police did not know the home cities of Pavlinac and Swope.
Police said some of the injured were taken to hospitals aboard helicopters. The four teen-agers were taken to Mission Community Hospital in Mission Viejo and Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, Parker said. Pavlinac was in critical condition at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, a hospital spokeswoman said. Valentine was in stable condition at the same hospital.
Swope and Thomas were in serious condition at Mission Community Hospital, a spokeswoman said.
Aragon and his passenger, Celine Humprey, ) 23, of Newport Beach, were taken to Saddleback Community Hospital, where they were in stable condition.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
