5 Hospitalized, Including 2 Young Boys, In Murrieta DUI Crash: CHP

MURRIETA, CA — A total of five people were hospitalized— including 4-year-old and 6-year-old boys—after a man driving under the influence of alcohol crashed on Interstate 215 in the Murrieta area this week, the California Highway Patrol said.

The crash happened on the northbound side of I-215 around 3:15 a.m. Monday, just north of Clinton Keith Road, according to CHP Officer Mike Lassig.

According to Lassig, 26-year-old Isaiah Orona of Menifee was driving a 2020 Dodge Charger on the freeway in the early morning hours when he "made an unsafe turning movement" and hit the concrete center divider wall.

After hitting the wall, he veered right— and into the path of a Romoland man, Lassig said. The Romoland man hit Orona's car, sending it back the other direction and into the path of a 27-year-old Las Vegas man in a 2017 Kia Sportage. The man in the Sportage also hit Orona's Charger.

"At the conclusion of these events, all vehicles came to rest," Lassig said.

Both the CHP and Murrieta Fire & Rescue responded to the scene, helping to transport Orona and the driver of the Sportage to Inland Valley Medical Center. They each had major injuries. There were three passengers in the Sportage who were also hospitalized, Lassig said.

The passengers included: a 27-year-old woman, who suffered minor injuries; a 4-year-old boy, who suffered minor injuries; and a 6-year-old boy, who suffered major injuries, according to the CHP. All three passengers are also from Las Vegas.

"CHP officers determined that [Orona] was driving... while intoxicated and was subsequently placed under arrest for felony driving under the influence," Lassig said.

Riverside County jail records indicate Orona was booked on two felony DUI charges. He posted $50,000 bail and was released from jail on Tuesday morning.

He's tentatively due in court on June 13.