Man dies from injuries in Desert Hot Springs crash, Arcata resident arrested
A 59-year-old man was killed in a two-vehicle collision in Desert Hot Springs, and the man who allegedly drove through a red light and crashed into the victim was arrested, police said today.
The suspect, a 38-year-old man from Arcata, was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter, according to the Desert Hot Springs Police Department.
He was booked into the John J. Benoit Detention Center in Indio, where he remains held on $1 million bail, according to inmate records. He's expected to make his first court appearance Dec. 26.
Police said officers responded at 11:43 p.m. Wednesday to a report of a traffic collision involving two vehicles in the area of Palm Drive and Hacienda Avenue.
The Arcata man was driving a Kia Sorrento northbound on Palm Drive while the second driver was driving a Ford Focus eastbound on Hacienda Avenue, according to police. He allegedly drove through the red light and broadsided the Focus.
"The driver of the Focus was transported to a local area hospital where he was later pronounced deceased,'' police wrote in a statement. "Alcohol does appear to be a factor in this collision."
No other information was immediately available.
