Alcohol Is Suspected in Irvine Crash That Hurt 3
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A 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving Thursday after a multi-car accident that injured three people, Irvine police said.
Louis Chavez of Santa Ana was being held at the Orange County Jail on suspicion of felony drunk driving, authorities said.
Investigators said Chavez was driving a 1987 Honda Accord northbound on Harvard Avenue at 80 to 90 mph when he ran a red light at Alton Parkway about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday. His car collided with a 2000 Acura sedan, which then struck a 1997 Ford Explorer, Police Sgt. Denny Jenner said.
The Acura’s driver, Jacquelyn Gloria Anderson, 44, of Irvine, and her passengers, daughter Jacquelyn Gracie Anderson, 15, and Christine Richardson, 30, of Mission Viejo, were taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, where they were in stable to guarded condition, officials said.
Neither Chavez nor the Explorer’s driver, Robert Salinders, 31, of Irvine, was injured, Jenner said.
Police said Chavez’s blood alcohol level was more than 0.2 at the time. They also are investigating whether Chavez was involved in a hit-and-run accident on Main Street shortly before the crash at Alton.
Police Investigator Doug Coffing asks that anybody who witnessed either incident call him at (949) 724-7024.
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