OCEANSIDE, Calif. — A single-vehicle crash in Oceanside left one person dead and another arrested on suspicion of DUI Sunday, authorities said.
The incident occurred west of State Route 76 and Airport Road around 1:54 a.m.
According to the Oceanside Police Department, the driver of a 2003 Nissan Maxima traveling eastbound on SR-76 lost control, causing the vehicle to collide with a large tree on the south shoulder of the roadway.
Responding officers and paramedics discovered the vehicle’s rear passenger, a man described to be in his 30s, had sustained fatal injuries during the crash, police confirmed. His identity is being withheld pending notification of family
Meanwhile, authorities say the driver and front seat passenger sustained non-life-threatening injuries. No other vehicles were reported to be involved in the incident.
According to OPD, it’s suspected that alcohol and speed were a factor in the collision. The driver, 29-year-old Guillermo Sanchez Pacheco of Oceanside, was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) and gross vehicular manslaughter, police confirmed.
The department’s Major Accident Investigation Team is conducting an investigation into the fatal incident. Anyone with information regarding this crash is asked to call Traffic Collision Investigator Kevin Lissner at (760) 435-4651.