3 injured, 1 arrested in stolen-car crash in Merced County, CHP says

Two teenagers suffered major injuries over the weekend and another teenager was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and hit-and-run after a stolen vehicle crashed on Plainsburg Road, officers from the California Highway Patrol reported.

The driver, a 16-year-old boy, left the scene just after 4 a.m. Saturday, leaving three injured teenagers in the vehicle, Officer Moises Onsurez said. One girl suffered a broken back and internal injuries and the other girl had two broken legs, he said.

Another boy in the vehicle had unspecified injuries, described by officers as minor.

The ages of the injured were not available.

The teen said to have been the driver was captured several hours later and arrested. He was booked into the Iris Garrett Juvenile Justice Correctional Complex on suspicion of driving under the influence, hit-and-run, vehicle theft and possession of stolen property, Onsurez said.

“All four counts are felonies,” he said.

Officers said the teenagers were heading north at 4:06 a.m. Saturday on Plainsburg Road at an undetermined speed when the vehicle, a 1997 Honda Accord, turned off the roadway and slammed into a utility pole.

The crash remains under investigation.

This story was originally published June 20, 2015 at 2:53 PM with the headline "3 injured, 1 arrested in stolen-car crash in Merced County, CHP says."