LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio (SCPR), a member-supported public media network. Hear our news on-air at our partner site:
Four people were killed when a BMW careened down a street and crashed into a light pole and palm tree in San Clemente last night, and authorities are saying that alcohol played a role in the wreck.
The crash happened at 1 a.m. last night on the 900 block of El Camino Real, City News Service reports. The car, a 2012 BMW 3-Series, split in two upon impact. The dead passengers included three men and a woman. A fifth passenger, known only as a 24-year-old woman, was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries.
"She's in serious condition, but from what I was able to gather, she is expected to survive," Orange County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Hallock told CNS, who added that a combination of speed and alcohol may have caused the crash.
UPDATE 4:20 P.M.: CNS is reporting the identities of the dead are Pablo Vargas Diaz, 25; Martin Junior Nieto, 26; and Lucia Garcia Solis, 27. The identity of the surviving passenger is not known.