DUI Suspect Faces Murder Charge in Crash

A Covina woman suspected of drunk driving was being held on murder charges Saturday after she allegedly caused a series of accidents that left one person dead, police said.

Three others, including two police officers, were injured in the accidents, police reported.

Guilda Duran, 38--who police say has twice been convicted of drunk driving--was being held at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center on suspicion of murder, drunk driving and felony charges of leaving the scene of an accident, said Officer Connie Wolf of the California Highway Patrol.

The incident began Friday when police responded to a non-injury accident on East 3rd Street and South Ford Boulevard in East Los Angeles and tried to detain Duran.

Instead of stopping, Duran allegedly sped off, with a patrol car following.

During the chase, the police car was broadsided by a minivan a few blocks away at the intersection of Ford and 1st Street, injuring both officers as well as the driver of the van, CHP Officer Ken Lane said.

Duran then allegedly ran a red light at Ford and Cesar E. Chavez Avenue and hit a car, killing the driver.

Coroner’s spokesman Scott Carrier identified the dead man as Norberto Cervantes Perez, 26, of East Los Angeles.

The injured officers and van driver were treated at area hospitals and released, Lane said.