Nicole L. Linton, 37, a nurse from Texas who works in Los Angeles, was taken into custody on a charge of involuntary manslaughter after police said she crashed her car into five other vehicles while driving at speeds of up to 100 mph in an intersection in Windsor Hills.
Eight-months pregnant Asherey Ryan, 23, was pronounced dead at the scene along with her one-year-old child Alonzo Luchiano Quintero and her unborn baby boy after the horrific crash.
The unborn child’s father, Renald, was also killed in the crash after the car split in half immediately after the collision, those close to the family confirmed.
Asherey, Renald and little Alonzo were on their way to a doctor’s appointment for a pregnancy test when the “drunk” driver crashed into the car they were traveling in.
Tabia Johnson, who witnessed the crash, took a photo of Linton sitting on a nearby sidewalk after the crash, with the burning aftermath visible in the background.
Johnson, who condemned the woman’s driving, said Linton appeared to have suffered only minor injuries, including bleeding near the head.
Lindon is cooperating with investigators who are testing her blood to see if she was under the influence when the fatal crash occurred.
Lindon will be taken into custody after she is released from the hospital and will be formally charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney on Monday, according to the LA Times.
The mangled wreckage of the Mercedes that Lindon was running into is shown here after the crash. Lindon survived the crash, but six others died, including Asherey Ryan and her one-year-old son, Alonzo
Tabia Johnson, who witnessed the crash, snapped a photo of the suspect, Nicole L. Linton (center), commenting that Linton appeared to suffer only minor injuries in the horrific collision
IMAGE: Asherey Ryan, 23, died in the fiery crash with her one-year-old and unborn child. Tributes have poured in for the mother, who was expecting another child this year
One-year-old boy Alonzo (pictured) was also killed in the horrific crash between South La Brea Avenue and Slauson Avenue Thursday afternoon.
Tributes poured in for the mother after she was tragically killed in the fierce collision. Her one-year-old Alonzo was also pronounced dead at the scene
The unborn child’s father Renald (right) also died in the fatal crash. She is photographed with Asherey
Mary Thompson prays as she carries a bouquet of flowers to the memorial set up after the crash which has claimed six lives so far
This is the horrifying moment LA driver Nicole L Linton sent a line of cars hurtling towards another petrol station over the road before stopping just before the pumps
A child’s car seat was seen ejected from a vehicle at the scene of the crash. A baby has been confirmed to have died in the horrific ordeal
The graphic shows the direction the SUV was going along South La Brea Avenue when it ran a red light and caused the horrific crash
Skid marks could be seen on the ground at the intersection as investigators Thursday afternoon tried to figure out what happened.
The vehicles were sent screeching across the road, engulfed in flames, before finally coming to rest in a mangled wreckage meters away from rows of highly flammable pumps.
A woman claimed speeding driver Lyndon, who was her boyfriend, was “drunk” and “got into a fight with her boyfriend” before he got into her car and crashed into traffic.
The fatal pileup happened between South La Brea Avenue and Slauson Avenue Thursday afternoon.
Eight people were left fighting for their lives with horrific injuries after the devastating strike at 1.40pm. Of the injured, six were teenagers and one was seriously injured. The driver is one of those injured in the hospital.
The LA County Coroner has confirmed and recorded the death of Asherey Ryan, along with unborn ‘Baby Boy Ryan’.
Tributes have poured in for Asherey, who is believed to be eight months pregnant, and her child following the devastating crash.
Asherey’s sister Seana, who posted a message on Instagram about the incident, said she is still shocked and devastated by the loss and condemned the driver who she said hit her brother-in-law’s car.
“We’re looking for legal representation because this doesn’t make sense,” Seana said after reviewing videos of the crash.
“He took my sister, my nephew, my brother-in-law, he took my son’s only cousin. We are deeply hurt. We have to bury four people,” he added, including the unborn child.
Alonzo’s father Luis Fernando Quintero wrote online: “I have no words [right now] It hurts so much because this is something I never expected no one did. I will miss you both and I didn’t get to say goodbye or make up for the time I lost with you Alonzo my heart aches maybe it all rests in pieces [peace] god got two amazing angels.”
The family set up a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses after the horrific ordeal.
Witness Veronica Esquival said she was pumping gas when debris suddenly began flying through the air during the horrific crash – caused by the female driver, who was alone in the car.
Witness Veronica Esquival said the baby landed at her feet after the fatal blow. He was getting gas at the gas station when the tragedy happened
He said a baby tragically landed on the floor in the middle of the gas station before panicked workers tried to revive the child.
He said: “I was about to pump gas and all of a sudden, I hear all the noises from all the collisions, and then the fire exploded and I saw things, metal and things flying in the air. So I just took cover behind the pump.
“All of a sudden, a baby literally flew out of the middle of the intersection into the middle of the gas station and landed right on the floor in front of me.
“One of the workers came and saw me with the baby and took the baby out of my hands. Someone tried to revive the baby, but the baby was gone.’
A woman, who claims to be a friend of the Mercedes driver, said she believed he had been drinking after an argument with her boyfriend before the fatal crash.
Linton was alone in the car, officials confirmed.
He told KTLA, “He was drinking and didn’t know it was a red light because he shot straight through.”
Another heartbroken witness, Alphonso Word, who was just a few cars away from the junction when tragedy struck, said the crash sounded “like a bomb”.
He said the child was “thrown off the road”, as was the pregnant mother, who “landed on her side”.
Devastating images show vehicles burnt out after firefighters tackled huge flames caused by the crash – after an inferno made it look like “the whole intersection was on fire”.
London Carter, with Southern Missionary Baptist Church, prays over a makeshift memorial across from the fiery multi-car crash that killed pregnant Asherey Ryan and her one-year-old son
CHP and other officials are investigating the fiery crash that killed six and sent eight others to the hospital
The fatal pileup happened between South La Brea Avenue and Slauson Avenue Thursday afternoon. Asherey Ryan (pictured) was one of the victims
The woman was believed to be eight months pregnant when she was killed in a car crash
The mother and Alonzo (pictured) were two of the victims in the car accident. The driver, 37-year-old Lindon, believed to be a nurse, was arrested after the crash
The Mercedes drives past a gas station and then hits the edge of a traffic jam, causing a flaming inferno in the Windsor Hills area
Fire officials are seen Thursday with a burned-out car after the crash
The Mercedes coupe can be seen speeding from the petrol station towards the junction before the horrific crash on Wednesday
A memorial cross is posted on a traffic pole as the City of Los Angeles as Los Angeles Public Works technicians replace burned out traffic lights and signals following the horrific accident
A woman claimed the driver was her boyfriend and that he had been drinking after arguing with her boyfriend before the fatal crash
The shocking video, shot from a gas station overlooking the scene, begins as the Mercedes coupe races past the pumps at breakneck speed.
The doomed vehicle fails to break as it endures traffic flowing both ways at the busy intersection.
He crashes into the first car, which immediately explodes into a fireball before plowing through several others that are spun from the massive impact. The crash sends them all running towards another gas station across the intersection before finally coming to a halt in a crumpled mess.
The stack stopped just short of the second gas station over the road, which is considered an architectural landmark.
The pileup, between South La Brea Avenue and Slauson Avenue, killed the pregnant woman, her unborn child and the 1-year-old
Condemned vehicle fails to break as it endures traffic flowing in both directions at busy intersection
Images on social media showed the stricken vehicles without wheels and roofs after the fierce collision
Images show mangled, burned-out vehicles strewn across the road in what the California Highway Patrol described as “like a war zone.”
Debra Jackson, who was filling up her car with gas, told CBSLA, “All of a sudden, I heard a big explosion and flames went all over my car. I think my car was on fire.”
California Highway Patrol spokesman Franco Pepi said “at least six or seven” vehicles were involved – and three were engulfed…
