An 18-year-old female passenger was killed by a suspected drunk wrong-way driver Saturday on the westbound Century (105) Freeway in South Los Angeles, in a crash that involved three vehicles and injured five people.
The wrong-way vehicle crashed head-on into another vehicle near Long Beach Boulevard at 3:05 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.
The Los Angeles County coroner's office identified the deceased woman as Briauna Ramirez, whose 18th birthday was Thursday.
Ramirez, the front-seat passenger of a 2012 Honda, was pronounced dead at the scene. She was a resident of Bermuda Dunes, near Palm Springs, the CHP said.
A 24-year-old man driving a 1999 Honda entered the westbound freeway traveling eastbound and struck a 2012 Honda occupied by five people.
The front-seat passenger of the 2012 Honda, a resident of Bermuda Dunes, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her name will be released pending notification of next of kin.
The driver in the 1999 Honda, a resident of West Covina, was rushed to St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood with moderate injuries and was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.
The driver of the 2012 Honda, an 18-year-old Coachella resident, and a 29-year-old Coachella woman who was a passenger in the car, were also taken to St. Francis Medical Center, where they were treated for major injuries.
Two other people in the 2012 Honda, a 28-year-old woman from La Quinta and a 28-year-old woman from Thousand Palms, were taken to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Downey with major injuries.
There were no reported injuries or details about the third vehicle involved.
The crash prompted the closure of all westbound lanes of the 105 Freeway at Long Beach Boulevard. All lanes were re-opened at about 7:25 a.m.
