Local News in Brief : Driver Held in 3 Deaths

A head-on car crash in Glendale, just a few blocks from a sobriety checkpoint, left three people dead, two children hospitalized and one man jailed on suspicion of murder, police said.

Aram Barsumyam, 30, of Los Angeles, remained in jail Monday following the Saturday night crash on Glendale Avenue near Los Feliz Boulevard, Sgt. Mel Barnes said.

Witnesses said Barsumyam was “driving from Los Angeles into Glendale at speeds ranging from 70 to 100 m.p.h.” before his car collided with another carrying five people, Barnes said. His blood-alcohol level was tested, with the results not yet determined, police said.

Barsumyam suffered only minor injuries, but Francisco Cruz, 42, the driver of the second car, and his wife, Olga Yolanda Cruz, 31, both of Azusa, were killed instantly. Brenda Cruz, 6, who had a fractured pelvis and two broken legs, was in fair condition at Childrens Hospital in Los Angeles. Her brother, Byron, 12, was in good condition, suffering from shock and a lacerated finger.

The children’s aunt, Maria Hernandez, 33, of Los Angeles, was pronounced dead at Glendale Memorial Hospital.