A baby girl died shortly after her mother gave birth to her following a head-on collision by a suspected drunk driver in California that seriously injured the mother, police say.
Police arrested Julian Gutierrez, 25, on suspicion of DUI Wednesday for allegedly crossing the double-yellow lines on the road and driving straight into another car going in the opposite direction, KTLA reported.
Judith Mauricio, the other driver, was eight months pregnant and suffered serious injuries as a result of the crash. Paramedics rushed Mauricio to the hospital where she gave birth to the baby, but the baby died shortly after she was born, police said.
“When I saw the bruise on her tummy there, all I could do was pray,” said Simon Sarkissian, a witness to the crash. “It’s hard not to get emotional right now knowing that because I have a little over a month old son of my own.”
Investigators with the Los Angeles Police Department say Gutierrez was driving under the influence at the time of the crash. Gutierrez was treated at the scene for minor injuries, police said.
Gutierrez was arrested, eventually charged with murder, and is being held on $2 million bail, KSWB reported. Police say he had a warrant for his arrest totaling up to $70,000.
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