5-Vehicle Accident Leaves 1 Dead, 6 Hurt in Sepulveda

A woman was killed and six people were injured Monday when a man driving the wrong way along a Sepulveda street struck two vehicles at an intersection, Los Angeles police said.

Charlotte Knowlden, 66, of Bakersfield--a passenger in one of the cars--died about 2 p.m. at Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, a hospital spokeswoman said. Knowlden’s husband, James, 69, was listed in critical condition at the hospital.

Michael Mare Jr., 34, of Arleta was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter after the 11:20 a.m. accident at Plummer Street and Sepulveda Boulevard, Officer Ralph Kemptner said. Mare was in serious but stable condition at Northridge Hospital Medical Center.

Two people were treated for minor injuries at Panorama Community Hospital and released, and two were treated at the scene, said Greg Acevedo, a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman.

Authorities said Mare, who was heading west on Plummer, drove his Chevrolet Camaro into an eastbound lane, past a row of westbound cars stopped in front of him at a red light. Authorities say he then ran the red light and struck a northbound pickup truck in the intersection. The truck overturned, and Mare’s car hit a Mercury Sable that was turning left onto Plummer, authorities said.

The Sable, driven by James Knowlden, collided with a Cadillac traveling south on Sepulveda and then hit an eastbound Hyundai stopped at the red light on Plummer, Kemptner said.

Los Angeles Police Sgt. Bob Farkas said Mare’s blood was tested for alcohol, but results of the test were not immediately available.

“He was going well in excess of the speed limit,” Kemptner said. “That’s an understatement.”