Driver arrested in fatal hit- run

Woman with a prior DUI conviction killed couple and wounded children, police say.

A 22- year- old Newport Beach woman suspected of driving under the inf luence was arrested after a Santa Ana couple were killed and their three young children injured in a crash Tuesday night in Newport Beach, authorities said.

Grace Elizabeth Coleman was arrested on suspicion of DUI, traffic homicide and hit- and- run resulting in death, Newport Beach Police Department spokeswoman Heather Rangel said. Police say Coleman has a prior conviction for driving under the inf luence.

Newport Beach police responded to a call at 7: 46 p. m. of a crash near Newport Coast Drive and South Pelican Hill Road. Officers found Coleman’s black Range Rover and a Nissan Versa had collided, Rangel said.

A 27- year- old man and 28- year- old woman in the Nissan died at the scene, police said. Three children were in the backseat of the car.

Orange County sheriff ’ s Sgt. Dennis Breckner identified the victims as Henry Eduardo Saldana- Mejia and Gabriela M. Andrade, who would have turned 29 this month.

KCBS- TV Channel 2 reported that the couple’s daughters, ages 1, 4 and 5, were hospitalized in critical condition.

Police say Coleman left her vehicle and walked away after the collision. Newport Beach officers found her in the area and took her into custody, Rangel said.

The children and Coleman were taken to a hospital to be treated, police said.

Under state law, a driver with a prior DUI conviction who is involved in a deadly DUI crash can be charged with second- degree murder, which carries a life sentence.