3 Die After Car Slams Into Pole; Police Say Alcohol Was Involved

Three young men died and a fourth escaped with minor injuries early Sunday after the speeding car they were in slammed into a power pole and flipped over, Los Angeles police said.

The accident, which authorities believe was alcohol-related, took place around 3 a.m. in the 16200 block of Chatsworth Street at Swinton Avenue, said Officer Brian McClary of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley Traffic Bureau.

The driver of the Honda Accord, Carlos Lopez, 23, of Northridge, was booked on suspicion of felony manslaughter and drunk driving, McClary said. Lopez was being held Sunday at the Van Nuys Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Lopez’s cousin, Ignacio Sanchez Lopez, 17, and another boy identified only as Juan, 15, also of Northridge, were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

A third victim, Isrrael Alvarez Martinez, 19, died about noon Sunday after undergoing surgery at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills.

Authorities said the youths were attending a quinceanera, a coming-of-age party for 15-year-old girls, in Canoga Park before the accident.

Officials could not determine whether the boys consumed alcohol at the party, but said beer was found at the accident scene.

Maricruz Lopez, mother of the driver, said her son was extremely distraught after losing his friends, who all lived in the same sprawling complex, Park Parthenia Apartments. Sanchez Lopez shared an apartment with his cousin and aunt.

Sanchez Lopez had moved to the San Fernando Valley from Michoacan, Mexico, about a year ago, according to Maricruz Lopez. During that time, the teen took a job as a dishwasher to earn money to send home to his mother and two sisters.

“We are all very sad,” Lopez said quietly. “I’m sorry for what happened.”

The early morning crash was the second multiple fatality accident in less than a week.

On Thursday, five people ages 17 to 25 died after the car they were in plummeted 75 feet down an embankment during an alleged race on the Antelope Valley Freeway.

Sunday’s crash involved a deadly mix of alcohol and excessive speed, authorities said.

Police found an empty case of beer at the scene, McClary said. There also were about half a dozen opened and unopened beer bottles, some inside the vehicle.

Authorities said a preliminary test measured Carlos Lopez’s blood-alcohol content at 0.19%, more than double the legal limit in California of 0.08%.

The Honda, which was going an estimated 85 mph, ended up on its roof after hitting a curb and careening into a power pole, McClary said. “It took a team of about 40 firefighters who had to cut the victims out of the car.”