Man Killed In Wrong-Way Head-On Collision In Tustin

TUSTIN (CBSLA) – A 33-year-old Brea man who was killed in a wrong-way crash on a Tustin freeway Friday that injured two others, including a suspected drunken driver, was identified by authorities.

Michael Johnston Jr. died at the scene of the crash, which was reported just after 2 a.m. on the northbound 55 Freeway connector to the northbound 5 Freeway, according to the California Highway Patrol and the Orange County coroner's office.

Johnston's passenger in the Ford Mustang, a 24-year-old woman from Burbank, was hospitalized with major injuries, said CHP Officer Tino Olivera.

The suspect, Ivan Gonzalez, 30, of Lake Forest, has a prior conviction for driving under the influence, according to Olivera.

Gonzalez was driving a 2008 Toyota Camry the wrong way at speeds of at least 100 mph when an officer who spotted him and attempted to stop him. But Gonzalez kept going and struck Johnston's 2000 Ford Mustang head-on, Olivera said.

The passenger in the Mustang was taken to Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, as was Gonzalez, who may be released from the hospital by Saturday, Olivera said.

Gonzalez, the wrong-way driver, is suspected of driving while intoxicated, but he has not been booked yet due to his injuries, the officer said.

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