Sleeping California teen killed when drunken illegal Mexican carplows into apartment

(Reuters) - A 16-year-old girl asleep in her bed was killed
early Sunday when a suspected drunk driver careened into an
apartment building in southern California, law enforcement
officials said.

The crash occurred at 3:15 a.m. local time in Palmdale, which is
located about 63 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.

Robert Rodriguez, 20, of Palmdale, was arrested on suspicion of
driving under the influence of alcohol and was charged at the
Palmdale Sheriff's Station with vehicular manslaughter, the Los
Angeles County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

"The driver was at a high rate of speed and either tried to turn
or lost control, impacted the curb and went into the apartment
building," Sergeant David Sauer of the Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Department said.

The driver "unfortunately killed a teenage girl that was inside
the apartment," Sauer said.

If toxicology reports confirm that Rodriguez was under the
influence of drugs or alcohol, he could face other charges, a
spokeswoman with the sheriff's department said.

Rodriguez was being held on $100,000 bail. It was not known
whether he had obtained an attorney.

Video from the scene showed a gray sport utility vehicle that
had crashed into the ground-floor apartment.

Witnesses told authorities the vehicle was moving at roughly 80
miles per hour (129 km per hour).

The victim was described as a local high school student.

"She was my little sister. I just hope people who drink and
drive ... I mean ... they are just causing pain for many
families," the victim's sister told KCAL-TV.

Apartments adjacent to the crash scene were evacuated to allow
building inspectors to assess whether the building's foundation
had been damaged, Sauer said.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/s...lifornia-teen-
20140420,0,6168536.story