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3 Teens Killed, 1 Injured By DUI Driver In Huntington Beach

HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA) — Three teenagers were killed and one was injured by a suspected DUI driver early Thursday morning on Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach.

The crash was reported at 1:08 a.m. near Magnolia Street and shut down a portion of PCH, according to the Huntington Beach Police Department.

Two teenage boys and one teen girl died at the scene. Another teenage boy was injured and transported to the hospital, but was later released.

Investigators confirmed the identity of one of the victims as 17-year-old AJ Rossi. Officials later confirmed that the victims were all teenagers from the Las Vegas area celebrating spring break.

Bani Duarte, 27, of San Clemente, was booked on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and driving dunk causing bodily injury, according to Huntington Beach police Officer Angela Bennett.

HB booking photo
Duarte

Police say a white Hyundai Sonata driven by Duarte hit a red Toyota. The car burst into flames when police got to the scene. Firefighters were called in to put the fire out.

The three fatally injured people were the driver and two passengers in the Toyota that was rear-ended by the Hyundai, according to police.

All lanes of PCH in both directions from Magnolia to Brookhurst were expected to be shut down for several hours.

(©2017 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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