Police Arrest Woman Who Flees Crash Scene After Car Hits Hers

In an unusual twist, a motorist fled an accident scene early Sunday morning after her vehicle was struck by a car that went through a red light, police reported. Police said they believe the woman fled because she was intoxicated at the time of the accident and didn’t want officers to see her in that condition.

Shortly after the two-car crash, the woman’s vehicle was tracked down by a Costa Mesa police helicopter. She was arrested on suspicion of fleeing the scene of an accident and felonious drunk driving, officers said. No charges were immediately filed against the man, who allegedly drove through a red light and struck the woman’s car, said Sgt. Bob Durham.

Durham said the collision occurred at 1:23 a.m. Sunday at the intersection of 17th Street and Newport Boulevard.

A car driven by Christopher Bermudez, 21, of Quartz Hill, Calif., was southbound on Newport Boulevard, Durham said. According to several witnesses, Bermudez’s car went through a red light at the 17th Street intersection and collided with another car, Durham said. Bermudez’s car rolled over in the crash but the other vehicle remained upright and sped off after the collision, investigators said.

The city’s helicopter patrol started searching for the fleeing vehicle and spotted it parked in a nearby commercial center shortly after the accident, Durham said. A woman came to the car after it had been pinpointed, and she was arrested, Durham said.

The woman was identified as Marni Scott, 23, of Raleigh, N.C.

The case remains under investigation, Durham said.