A Lancaster man has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury in connection with a Wednesday crash on Highway 14 in which five people were injured.
Gilbert Rosario, 52, was arrested by officers of the California Highway Patrol about a half hour after the crash.
The multi-vehicle traffic collision happened at about 6 p.m. in the northbound lanes of Highway 14, near Soledad Canyon Road.
“Due to the injuries he caused to his passengers in the crash, and him being under the influence during the crash, he was arrested for felony DUI,” CHP Officer Josh Greengard said Friday.
The crash happened at the same time firefighting efforts were underway to extinguish a 30-acre brush fire nearby.
It involved five vehicles, including one that overturned.
CHP officers were reported at the time to be following up on reports that one of the vehicles tried to pass vehicles on the right shoulder when it rear-ended another vehicle, flipping that vehicle.
“When he crashed he injured some of his passengers,” Greengard said of the suspect.
Paramedics with the Los Angeles County Fire Department arrived at the crash scene at 6:10 p.m. after receiving reports from the CHP, Fire Department spokeswoman Melinda Choi said on that day.
Arriving paramedics requested ambulances come to the scene to take patients to the hospital.
“There were no major injuries,” a firefighter from Fire Station 111 in Saugus said.
The five patients suffered varying degrees of minor injuries, were given basic life support aid and taken to the hospital.
At the time of the crash, firefighters assigned to monitor a fire that burned 30 acres near Soledad and the highway two and a half hours prior to the pileup were still at the scene.
Roasario, who works as a plumber, according to arresting officers, was scheduled to appear Friday in San Fernando Superior Court.
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