A 31-year-old suspected drunk driver is in custody Monday awaiting formal charges for allegedly crashing his speeding car into two pedestrians after they got out of their parked vehicle in North Hollywood, killing both.
Police say Vidal Cruz Jr. was driving a gray Acura northbound on Colfax Avenue, north of Calvert Street, at 2:25 a.m. Sunday when the car struck a man in his 30s and a woman in her 50s, who had just exited the driver side of a white Toyota Camry, the Los Angeles Police Department reported.
“The driver (Cruz) of the Acura also hit the Camry while it had three occupants still inside,” according to a police statement. “The force of the collision caused the two pedestrians to travel in a northbound direction before colliding with the roadway. The Acura continued in a northeast direction before going into a private driveway and colliding with several unoccupied parked vehicles. The driver of the Acura was the sole occupant in his vehicle,” police added.
The male pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. He was identified Monday by the Los Angeles County Office of Medical Examiner as 35-year-old Nefi Lopez Gutierrez, who sustained multiple blunt-force traumatic injuries.
The female pedestrian was rushed to a hospital, where she died from her injuries. The three occupants inside the Camry suffered only minor injuries, police said.
“The investigation revealed that Cruz was driving at an unsafe speed and under the influence of alcohol,” the department said.
Cruz was arrested and taken to a hospital for treatment. He was later booked on suspicion of two counts of murder at the Van Nuys Jail, where he remained in lieu of $4 million bail, according to LASD inmate information.
Anyone with information regarding the crash was urged to call the LAPD’s Valley Traffic Division at 818-644-8025, or during non-business hours or on weekends, at 877-527-3247. Callers who wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or visit lacrimestoppers.org.