A motorist was killed in Winchester when a suspected drunken driver slammed head-on into his sedan on a two-lane road, authorities said Monday.
Ernest Lugo, 54, of Westminster was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and felony driving under the influence for allegedly causing the crash about 7:20 p.m. Sunday along Domenigoni Parkway at Alamar Mesa Drive.
Lugo is being held without bail at the Byrd Detention Center in Murrieta.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the suspect was at the wheel of a 2016 Chevrolet pickup that entered the eastbound lane of Domenigoni while traveling west at an unconfirmed speed.
"The pickup was going the wrong way," CHP Officer Jonathan Torres told City News Service. "A 2008 BMW was eastbound on Domenigoni, going the right way, and the pickup collided head-on with the BMW."
The BMW and pickup sustained significant damage. Debris from the impact was hurled onto a Nissan sedan trailing the BMW, but damage to that vehicle was minor, according to Torres.
Riverside County Fire Department paramedics reached the location minutes later and pronounced the BMW driver, whose identity was not immediately released, dead at the scene.
Lugo and his passenger, whose identity was not disclosed, suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital for treatment. The suspect was screened for alcohol impairment, and Torres alleged that officers verified Lugo had been driving while intoxicated.
He was taken into custody without incident.
The passenger was treated and released from the hospital.
Background information on Lugo was unavailable.
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