Suspected Drunk Driver Held in Infant’s Death

A motorist was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol Saturday after he was involved in a crash in on the Westside that took the life of a 6-month-old boy, authorities said.

Officials did not release the name of the man involved in the accident that occurred about 12:30 a.m. on the San Diego Freeway near the Santa Monica Boulevard on-ramp, California Highway Patrol Officer Susan Billat said. The suspect was being held at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Van Nuys Division Jail.

The man was driving his Ford Bronco about 80 m.p.h. when he rear-ended a compact car carrying six people, including the baby, who was secured in a child restraint seat, Billat said. Both vehicles slid down an embankment and landed on an on-ramp below the freeway.

The 6-month-old died at the scene, Billat said. The driver and three passengers in the car were taken to hospitals with various injuries, she said.