A compact sedan crashed into a light pole in Lincoln Heights Monday, killing the passenger and resulting in the arrest of the allegedly inebriated driver, who left the scene, according to police and broadcast reports.
The crash was reported at Broadway and Avenue 20 at 3:15 a.m. An officer at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Central Traffic Division said the driver left the passenger in the crumpled white Toyota Corolla and took off on foot.
The passenger — identified by the coroner’s office as Juan Mendez, 49, of Los Angeles — was pronounced dead at the scene.
Jose Lugo, 43, allegedly confessed to driving the vehicle while drunk because his cousin “was drunker,” FOX11 reported. He told a reporter he left the scene to look for help and was arrested when he returned, according to the station.
—City News Service