Doctor Arrested in Head-On Collision That Killed 2, Injured 3

A Laguna Beach doctor already facing hit-and-run charges has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and vehicular manslaughter in connection with a head-on collision that killed a Mission Viejo couple and critically injured their 12-year-old daughter, the California Highway Patrol said Monday.

CHP spokeswoman Angel Johnson said authorities will ask prosecutors to file murder charges against Ronald Joseph Allen, 31, a Laguna Beach internist, in the deaths of Mark and Noreen Minzey Sunday night.

Allen was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs and possibly of alcohol, Johnson said. She declined to elaborate.

Karie Minzey, who suffered head injuries, remained in critical condition at Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, Johnson said. The girl underwent surgery Sunday night, Johnson said.

Two other passengers in the Minzeys’ car, Danielle Rodriguez, 12, and her 24-year-old sister, Jackie, also were injured. They were treated at UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange on Sunday and released.

Allen was taken to the medical center, where he was treated for minor injuries and arrested. Bail is set at $25,000, but could be increased if murder charges are filed.

Allen had been arrested last month in Laguna Beach on suspicion of public intoxication and resisting arrest. As a result of the incident, a Laguna Beach hospital revoked his staff privileges to practice there, police said.

Court records indicate that the physician pleaded not guilty last week to one count of public intoxication, two counts of hit-and-run driving and two counts of resisting arrest stemming from a June 1 incident in Laguna Beach. He allegedly ran into three parked cars and failed a field sobriety test, according to Laguna Beach police. His driver’s license was revoked after the accident.

According to the state Department of Motor Vehicles, Allen applied for a driver’s license 10 days later and was given a temporary permit.

On Sunday, the Minzeys and the Rodriguezes were returning from a girls softball tournament in Anaheim Hills, said Connie Beaty, president of Mission de Oro Bobby Sox League in Mission Viejo, where Karie and Danielle play.

Monday, the softball players and their parents who heard the news were shocked, Beaty said. The team had just won 8-0 and Karie, her parents and her friends were on their way to a celebration.

“The girls went from the highest high yesterday,” Beaty said. “We just don’t know what to do. We just don’t want to bring them to the lowest low.”

Witnesses told authorities that Allen had been swerving in and out of lanes and driving erratically just before the collision.