An ICU nurse was charged with multiple offenses on Monday, after allegedly running a red light last week and plowing into an intersection, killing six people and injuring eight others.
CBS News reports that Nicole L. Linton (pictured right), 37, identified as a traveling ICU nurse from Texas who works in Los Angeles, was charged with murder and five counts of gross vehicular manslaughter. If convicted of the charges, Linton faces 90 years in prison.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, stunning footage showed the moment Linton sped a black Mercedes through a California intersection and slammed into traffic. The crash killed five people, including a pregnant woman and an infant.
The fiery crash occurred shortly after 1:30 p.m. Thursday in the Windsor Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Authorities say the suspect was hurtling southbound on South La Brea Avenue going around 90 miles per hour, ran a red light at Slauson Avenue, and plowed into other vehicles at the intersection.
The video recording shows what seemed like a normal afternoon of traffic before the black car zooms into view and ends with an explosive fireball, giving the victims and other drivers virtually no time to react.
Aerial footage showed several vehicles burned, including one that appeared to have been split in half and one that had rolled onto its roof. Debris was strewn around the intersection, which was shut down for the remainder of Thursday and into Friday morning.
DailyMail reports that a source said Linton was “fighting with her boyfriend” and “drunk” when the incident occurred. She’s reportedly cooperating with investigators after her arrest on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence charges.
On Monday, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón said that although police are still investigating the incident, they haven’t determined if alcohol was involved in the incident.
“A young family was destroyed in the blink of an eye,” Gascón added.
Prior to her arrest, Linton was taken to the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center with moderate injuries. She’s now behind bars on a $9 million bond.
“Preliminary investigation indicates Nicole Lorraine Linton was driving a dark-colored Mercedes, traveling southbound on La Brea Avenue at a high rate of speed,” a CHP statement said.
“While driving the Mercedes, Linton proceeded through a red light and collided into multiple vehicles traveling eastbound and westbound on Slauson Avenue. As a result of this collision, multiple parties were ejected and two vehicles were fully engulfed in flames. Following the collision, involved parties were transported to (Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center) by ambulance and six individuals were declared deceased on scene.”
Disturbing security cam video of the catastrophic crash in Windsor Hills… New details NOW on @ABC7 Eyewitness News at 5pm pic.twitter.com/CQU6y3rHHv
— Chris Cristi (@abc7chriscristi) August 4, 2022
Among the deceased were 23-year-old Asherey Ryan and her unborn baby, her 1-year-old son, Alonzo, and her boyfriend, Reynold Lester. Asherey was eight months pregnant at the time of her death. The family was on their way to a doctor’s appointment when the incident occurred.
Two unidentified women also died at the scene.
Craig Pitchford, 66, died at the scene, while seven people inside a Chevrolet Traverse were injured. An eighth person injured has been identified only as a 19-year-old.
Witness Alphonso Word told KTLA-TV the crash was “like a bomb.” He said he’s saddened most by the injuries and deaths of the children involved.
“Like I say, it’s the kids. That’s what touched me more than anything, the children, the ones that didn’t get a chance. The mother that probably was happy that she’s having a baby.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Asherey’s family with funeral expenses.
“They did not have insurance so any donations help,” the page reads.
Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Alonzo/Facebook; Nicole Linton appears in Los Angeles Superior Court for arraignment on murder charges stemming from a traffic accident, Monday, Aug. 8, 2022, in Los Angeles. Linton, suspected of causing a fiery crash that killed five people and an 8 1/2-month-old fetus near Los Angeles, has been charged with murder, as well as vehicular manslaughter, and is being held on $9 million bail. (Frederick M. Brown/Daily Mail.com via AP, Pool)]
Additional reporting by Jonathan Anderson
