Rollover Crash Kills 2 Women, Injures 4 Others In Beverly Hills
BEVERLY HILLS (CBSLA) — Two women are dead after they and four others were ejected in what police say was a high-speed, drunken rollover crash in Beverly Hills.
The women were driving east on South Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills just before 1:30 a.m. when the white BMW SUV somehow clipped a palm tree and flipped over, landing heavily on the vehicle's roof. Authorities say several of the women were ejected.
"This is a very unfortunate and tragic accident," Beverly Hills Police Lt. Renato Moreno said.
The women were all in their 20s and suffered a range of minor to critical injuries. It's not clear where the women were coming from or where they were headed.
Investigators say alcohol and speed were factors in the crash, and the driver has been arrested on suspicion of DUI.
Late Friday, the driver was identified as Teara Strawn. She has been reportedly charged with two previous DUIs, officials said.
"I was at a red light and maybe two or three cars came racing, excessively high speeds," Uber driver Daren Rauer said.
Rauer, who was on his way home, had paused before proceeding through the intersection on the possibility another car would be trailing what appeared to be a race. The instinct likely saved his life, he says.
"Sure enough, this SUV just came out of nowhere," he said.
South Santa Monica Boulevard was closed until 6 a.m. between Wilshire Boulevard and Linden Drive.