Driver Arrested After Collision Kills Passenger in Pickup Truck

A passenger in a truck driven by a suspected drunken driver was killed Sunday when the truck drifted across three lanes of oncoming traffic before colliding head-on with another truck, authorities said.

The unidentified victim was described as a male Latino who appeared to be in his late 20s or early 30s, said John Amott of the Los Angeles Police Department. His identity was withheld pending notification of next of kin, he said.

The driver, Onesino Tirado of Palmdale, is suspected of drunken driving, Amott said. The accident occurred about 3 p.m. on San Fernando Road near Sierra Highway in Granada Hills, at the northern edge of the Los Angeles city limits, Amott said.

Police arrested Tirado on suspicion of manslaughter after he was treated for minor injuries at Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, Amott said.

Police also discovered two handguns, one inside Tirado’s truck and another on his person when he was examined at the hospital, Amott said.

Authorities said Tirado’s pickup was traveling north at an unknown rate of speed through a curved portion of road that runs beneath freeway overpasses when he crossed the road and struck a four-wheel drive truck.

The driver of that vehicle, Jeff McKinney of Lancaster, was also taken to Holy Cross Medical Center where he was treated for a cut and released, Amott said.