Wrong Way Driver Charged With Murder

The Orange County district attorney's office charged a man with murder today for driving the wrong way on the Riverside (91) Freeway and causing a fatal crash allegedly after a night of drinking at a Newport Beach bar.

Ruben Gurrola, 23, of Pomona, was taken into custody Thursday shortly after being released from a local hospital, prosecutors said. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday and is facing one felony count each of murder, driving under the influence causing bodily injury and driving with a blood alcohol level .08 percent or more causing injury with sentencing enhancements and allegations for causing great bodily injury and causing bodily injury to more than one victim.
  
According to the D.A.'s office, on the night of Jan. 28, Gurrola left a Newport Beach bar with his 24-year-old girlfriend, Allison Poon, after spending several hours drinking alcohol with friends. The couple took a cab to a friend's house, but, when they arrived at the house, Gurrola got into a Honda sedan with Poon in the passenger seat and drove away.

Prosecutors say at about 1:40 a.m., Gurrola was still intoxicated and drove on the wrong side of the 241 toll road into oncoming traffic, heading northbound in the southbound lanes. Several motorists on the freeway at the same time called 911 and had to swerve to avoid being hit.

Gurrola then transitioned onto the Riverside (91) Freeway, again driving on the wrong side of the freeway by heading eastbound in the westbound lanes. Gurrola crashed head-on into a Toyota sedan driven by 57-year-old Young Kim with 53-year-old Kyung Namgood in the passenger seat.

Namgood was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead at approximately 2:50 a.m.  Kim was transported to the hospital and treated for back and leg pain and an ankle laceration. Poon was treated for a broken nose and pain in her neck.

Gurrola was transported to the hospital to be treated for a broken leg. At 3:15 a.m., prosecutors said he had a blood alcohol level of .17 percent, more than double the legal limit. According to court records, Gurrola was cited in 2007 by Newport Beach police for being under the legal age to have alcohol.

Gurrola is being held on $1-million bail. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 19 years to life in state prison.