Police Wednesday announced the arrest of a 22-year-old woman on suspicion of driving while impaired and causing a crash in Newport Beach that killed a man and woman and left three young children hospitalized.
Grace Elizabeth Coleman of Newport Beach, who has a prior conviction for driving under the influence, was booked on suspicion of murder, DUI causing bodily injury and hit-and-run resulting in death, according to Heather Rangel, a spokeswoman for the Newport Beach Police Department.
Under state law, a driver with a prior DUI conviction who is subsequently involved in a deadly DUI crash can be charged with second-degree murder, which carries a life sentence.
Henrry Eduardo Saldana-Mejia, 27, of Santa Ana, and a 28-year-old woman were killed in the Tuesday night crash, according to Orange County Sheriff’s Sgt. Dennis Breckner. The woman’s name was being withheld as authorities worked to notify all of her family members, he said.
Neither Breckner nor Rangel were able to confirm a broadcast report that the victims were the parents of the injured children, who are reportedly in critical condition and are 1, 3, and 5 years old.
The crash occurred at 7:46 p.m. Tuesday at Newport Coast and Pelican Hills Road South. Coleman was behind the wheel of a black Range Rover that collided with victims’ Nissan Versa, Rangel said, noting that the three children were riding in the back seat of the sedan.
Saldana-Mejia and the woman were pronounced dead at the scene, Rangel said, and the children and Coleman were taken to an area hospital.
The severity of the suspect’s injuries was not disclosed by police.