Crime & Safety

Wrong-Way Driver Suspect Has Prior DUI Conviction, Police Say

Olivia Carolee Culbreath of Fontana was arrested on suspicion of felony drunken driving and felony manslaughter after Sunday's 4:50 a.m. crash

The 21-year-old woman suspected of driving drunk and killing six people in a wrong-way, head-on collision on the Pomona (60) Freeway in Diamond Bar was convicted of drunken driving at age 17, authorities said Monday.

Olivia Carolee Culbreath of Fontana was arrested on suspicion of felony drunken driving and felony manslaughter after Sunday's 4:50 a.m. crash, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Jennifer Cassidy.

Culbreath was listed in serious condition at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center with a fractured femur and ruptured bladder, Cassidy said.

Find out what's happening in Diamond Bar-Walnutwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The crash occurred on the westbound Pomona Freeway near of Diamond Bar Boulevard.   

Culbreath, headed east in westbound lanes at speeds up to about 100 mph in a new Chevrolet Camaro, crashed head-on into a 1998 Ford Explorer, according to the CHP report.

Find out what's happening in Diamond Bar-Walnutwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A 2006 Ford Freestyle also struck the Explorer.

The dead in the Camaro included 24-year-old Maya Culbreath, Olivia's sister and Kristin Young, 21, of Chino, according to coroner's spokesman Ed Winter.

Four people ejected from the Explorer died. They were identified as Huntington Park residents Gregorio Mejia-Martinez, 47; Leticia Ibarra, 42; Jessica Mejia, 20; and Esther Delgado, an adult whose age was not immediately known.

Olivia Culbreath was convicted of driving under the influence on April 13, 2010, according to Department of Motor Vehicles records. She was stopped for two more violations before her license was reinstated in December 2011, according to the DMV, which lifted  restrictions on her license last week.

Maya Culbreath had multiple convictions for drunken driving, according to the DMV. Her license was revoked.

The Ford Freestyle was driven by Joel Cortez, 57, of La Puente, who was taken to UC Irvine Medical Center with unknown injuries after complaining of pain.

"We're actually really blessed to the fact that we still have him," Cortez's son, Jonathan, told ABC7. "We know that six people have been killed from this, and we send our condolences to the families and friends of the victims."

According to the CHP, Olivia Culbreath somehow got on the southbound 57 Freeway going north, then transitioned to the westbound 60 going east.

Anyone who saw the accident was urged to call the CHP at (626) 338-1164.



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