A Texas woman has been charged with murder after a fatal crash in Los Angeles that claimed the lives of five people, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney. Nicole Lorraine Linton, 37, is charged with six counts of murder and five counts of grossly negligent vehicular manslaughter after she allegedly sped through an intersection and crashed into several vehicles.
Linton, a Houston nurse, was arrested Friday while hospitalized for moderate injuries she suffered in the crash, CBS Los Angeles reports. She was taken into custody Monday at the Lynwood Century Regional Detention Center and is being held on $9 million bail, according to CBS Los Angeles.
“Today, we begin the process of holding accountable the person responsible for the deaths of six people, including a pregnant woman, and their families,” District Attorney George Gascón said in a statement Monday. “This is a case that will always be remembered for the senseless loss of so many innocent lives while they were simply going about their daily routines.”
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Linton was allegedly speeding down La Brea Boulevard when he ran a red light and crashed into several vehicles in what the district attorney’s office called “a fiery wreck.” The car was going at least 50 mph, California Highway Patrol Officer Franco Pepi said.
The crash killed Asherey Ryan, 23, who was pregnant; their youngest son, Alonzo; and her boyfriend, Reynold Lester, 24. Two women were also killed in another vehicle; their names have not been released. Six other vehicles were also involved in the accident and several drivers were slightly injured.
Witness to the accident, Veronica Esquivel, he told CBS Los Angeles he tried to help the baby, but he couldn’t.
“I was about to pump gas and all of a sudden I heard all the noises of all the collisions, and then the explosion of the fire and I saw things, metal and things flying in the air. So I took cover behind. the bomb,” he told the station.
The crash is still under investigation.
