An off-duty Los Angeles Police Department officer and a passenger in the car he was driving were killed when the vehicle was struck by a BMW traveling a high speed through a Northridge intersection, police said.
The crash at about 1 a.m. was in the 18000 block of West Roscoe Boulevard. The officer was driving an Infiniti struck by a BMW driver who apparently ran a red light before the collision, police said.
Moore also said it appears the 20-year-old driver of the BMW was under the influence of alcohol.
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The crash sheared off a hydrant and sent one of the cars into a nearby apartment.
At a morning news conference, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the BMW was traveling at about 100 mph. The driver was arrested and booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, Moore said.
Officer Darrell Cunningham and his passenger died at the scene. The officer, who had just less than five years on the job, is survived by a fiancee and two sons, ages 3 and 6. He worked out of the department's West Los Angeles station.
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Three other people, including the BMW driver and an off-duty San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputy in the Infiniti, were hospitalized.
“We mourn the loss of Officer Darrell Cunningham who was killed along with his friend by the senseless violence of a DUI driver,” the department said in a statement. “May God welcome him home. We will do everything possible to support his fiancé, 2 young boys, mom & 2 brothers.”
