Two young children were killed as a result of a drunk driving two-vehicle crash just north of Lompoc on Wednesday, according to California Highway Patrol.
The agency reports that one of the drivers involved in the crash— 23-year-old Cuyama resident Brian Hernandez-Cervantes— was arrested for driving while impaired and causing their deaths.
At 3:50 p.m., officials say a Buellton region CHP officer patrolling the Lompoc and Vandenberg Village area attempted to stop an Infinity sedan for speeding.
The driver of the vehicle, who was identified as Hernandez-Cervantes, immediately fled northbound on Harris Grade Road.
Authorities say the driver then accelerated to high speeds and passed vehicles recklessly on the narrow two-lane road.
Less than a minute later, Hernandez-Cervantes failed to navigate a curve in the roadway and struck a tree with enough force to tear the vehicle in half, according to CHP.
Officials report that the front portion of the car slid down the heavily wooded hillside, while the rear portion of the vehicle slid across the lanes of the road and collided with a another vehicle traveling southbound.
An officer who arrived at the scene moments after the crash discovered that the passengers of the Infinity sedan— two children, aged three years and seven months respectively— were killed in the crash.
Hernandez-Cervantes reportedly suffered moderate injuries.
Officials say the driver of the other vehicle was uninjured.
Hernandez-Cervantes was determined to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash and was placed under arrest, according to CHP.
He has been booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of murder, felony child endangerment, felony driving under the influence of alcohol, and reckless driving causing injury.
Authorities report that the investigation is still ongoing, and that anyone with additional information about the incident should call the Buellton Area CHP office at (805) 691-6160.
