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Police: 13 Injured By Drunk Driver While Looking At Holiday Light Display

ALHAMBRA (CBSLA.com) — More than a dozen people were recovering Monday after they were hit by an alleged drunk driver while enjoying a holiday light display in the San Gabriel Valley.

The accident, involving three vehicles, took place Sunday night in the 300 block of Fremont Avenue in Alhambra.

Police said 28-year-old Ismael So, who was driving with a suspended license, was behind the wheel of his red pickup truck on Fremont Avenue when he attempted to pass a vehicle.

Ismael Soto
(credit: Alhambra Police Dept.)

Instead, authorities said, the vehicle struck seven pedestrians and two parked cars filled with six passengers who were all in the area looking at holiday decorations.

"One minute people are enjoying, they're laughing, they're smiling.  The next minute they're crying, they're on the floor in agony," said witness David Villalobos. "It was like a war zone."

Soto was arrested on felony drunk driving charges, the Alhambra Police Department said.

According to officials, 11 people were taken to local hospitals, four of which were in critical condition.

One patient remained in critical condition Monday morning at Huntington Memorial Hospital.

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