Wrong-way driver arrested for DUI in downtown L.A. after hitting two men, killing one

A 39-year-old was arrested Saturday on suspicion of driving under the influence after he struck two pedestrians with his car, killing one, in downtown Los Angeles, authorities said.

John Joseph Hansen Madarang, a Los Angeles resident, was apprehended after driving his silver Lexus IS200t into two men at the corner of 9th and Olive streets about 11:40 p.m. Friday, causing them to be “catapulted into the air,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a news release.

Madarang had been driving the wrong way on 9th, a one-way street where traffic moves eastbound, when the crash occurred, police said.

One of the pedestrians, a 36-year-old man, died from his injuries; the other, a 32-year-old man, suffered severe injuries. Both were crossing the street in a marked crosswalk at the time of the collision, police said.

After hitting the men, Madarang continued driving west, crashing head-on with another vehicle, police said. Community members kept him from leaving the area; one person used his car to block Madarang from escaping, the LAPD said.

Madarang is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center. Bail is set at $130,000.