Toddler Killed, 6 Hurt in Collision

A toddler was killed and six family members were injured late Wednesday when the baby’s allegedly intoxicated step-grandfather ran a red light and slammed into another car, authorities said.

The three adults and five children were blocks from their Garden Grove home when their minivan crashed, rolled over and ejected several passengers, including the 22-month-old boy, who was in a back seat without a seat belt and not in a car seat, police said. Onesimo Rios Jr. died at the scene, police said.

Carlos Ramirez, 40, of Garden Grove, who police said was driving without a license, was booked into the Orange County Jail on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving. Bail was set at $500,000, police said.

“He had the symptoms of alcohol intoxication, so we believe that contributed to the accident,” said Lt. Mike Handfield, Garden Grove police spokesman.

The collision occurred shortly after 11 p.m. as Ramirez drove north on Euclid Street, police said. He failed to stop at a red light and collided with a Honda Accord headed east on Orangewood Avenue, police said.

Ramirez’s wife, her daughter, 33, and the daughter’s five children -- 22 months old to 14 years old -- were in the Plymouth Voyager.

Ramirez’s wife, 55, whose name was not released, fractured her neck, police said. She was taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana.

A 7-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl were taken to the same hospital with cuts. An 11-year-old boy and the dead boy’s mother were taken to UCI Medical Center in Orange with neck injuries. A 14-year-old boy was taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Orange with cuts.

Ramirez was also taken to St. Joseph before he was arrested, police said.

The driver of the Honda, who was not identified, suffered minor injuries and was treated at the scene.

The family was returning home after picking up Ramirez’s stepdaughter from the Police Department, where she had been taken after being arrested for allegedly brandishing a fake BB gun during a dispute with a neighbor, police said.

Ramirez gave authorities blood samples after the collision, police said. The samples will be taken to a lab and analyzed to determine his blood-alcohol level, Handfield said. Results will take several weeks, he said.

Ramirez had an expired California identification card and was driving without a license, Department of Motor Vehicle records show.

Ramirez will be arraigned today in Westminster.