4th victim, age 6, dies after Redondo Beach crash
REDONDO BEACH, Calif. -- A six-year-old boy is the latest victim of a Redondo Beach crash that also killed his mother and two others, the Los Angeles County Coroner said Friday.
The Coroner has identified the child as Samuel Gaza, who died overnight, reports CBS Station KCBS.
Margo Bronstein, 56, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of felony vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, the Redondo Beach Police Department said. She is being held on $300,000 bail and is expected to make her first court appearance Friday.
Bronstein is accused of driving while under the influence of prescription medication around 8 p.m. Wednesday night when she sped around other vehicles in a white Saturn sedan and plowed into a group of pedestrians leaving a Christmas performance at St. James Catholic Church, before hitting another car head-on, police Lt. Shawn Freeman said.
The pedestrians on Wednesday night had just attended a student Christmas program at St. James Catholic Church
The crash also killed 36-year-old Martha Gaza; Mary Wilson, 81; and Saeko Matsumura, 87. Nine others were hospitalized, including four children ranging in age from 5 to 14 years old.
Gaza's son, Samuel, who had sung in the Christmas show, was listed in extremely critical condition Thursday night before passing away. His father and two sisters were also among those injured.
Friends of Bronstein said the Redondo Beach resident suffered from a long-term disability and used a walker or wheelchair at times. Her car was also equipped with hand-operated breaks and special mirrors.
Officials said they do not have information linking her to any prior arrests or DUI-related incidents.
She had a perfect driving record but was restricted to driving a vehicle with hand-controlled brakes, an additional right-side mirror and adequate signaling device, according to Department of Motor Vehicle records.
The DMV had no record listing her as handicapped, however.
Friends and neighbors said she is always friendly and deferential.
"She's very personable, very kind," Vanecia Wiley, a manager at the senior housing community where Bronstein lives, told the Los Angeles Times. "She doesn't want to be in anyone's way."
Church services held Thursday at St. James Catholic Church were dedicated to the injured.
"They were our kids from our community. Kids who left the church singing, praising to God," parishioner Anna Henki said.