A 27-year-old man was killed early Tuesday morning when he was ejected from a vehicle that was broadsided by an alleged drunk driver in Hollywood.

An alleged drunk driver has been arrested for a collision at Yucca and Vine streets early Tuesday that killed a 27-year-old Hollywood resident. (photo by Edwin Folven)

The collision occurred around 12:45 a.m. at the intersection of Vine and Yucca streets. The alleged drunk driver was driving westbound on Yucca Street in a 2010 Toyota Matrix when he allegedly ran a red light and broadsided a 1995 Jeep Wrangler. Angelo Bowers, a passenger in the Jeep who was originally from Modesto but had recently moved to Hollywood, was ejected from the vehicle and was later pronounced dead at the scene, according to Det. Zachary Hutchings, of the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Traffic Division. Hutchings said Bowers was likely not wearing his seatbelt, but that had not been officially confirmed. The Jeep’s driver was also hospitalized for moderate injuries but had been released by Wednesday.

The alleged drunk driver, Dimas Sanchez, 21, remains hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in critical condition. Hutchings said he was suffering from a fractured elbow and internal bleeding in his head, but is expected to survive. Sanchez, who lives in a neighborhood near the Hollywood (101) Freeway and Vermont Avenue, was also involved in a hit and run collision near Hollywood Boulevard and Argyle Avenue minutes before the collision at Vine and Yucca streets. Hutchings said Sanchez was exceeding the speed limit when the collision occurred, but did not have an estimate of the vehicle’s speed. Hutchings would not release Sanchez’s blood alcohol content because of the pending charges.

“Witnesses told us he ran the red light, and based on the fact that he had just been involved in a prior collision, we believe he was highly intoxicated,” Hutchings said.

The detective added that there were two female passengers in Sanchez’s vehicle who fled the scene before police arrived. Hutchings said police tracked them down a few blocks away through witnesses, and he added that they were not seriously injured. Hutchings said Sanchez and the two women had been at a nightclub in the Hollywood area prior to the collision, but he would not provide the name or the exact location.

“They apparently had been out drinking near the vicinity of Yucca and Vine,” Hutchings added. “Sanchez has been placed under arrest at the hospital for felony DUI.”

Hutchings said he would be asking for a murder charge to be filed against Sanchez, but it would be up to prosecutors from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office to formally file charges. The collision resulted in the first vehicle fatality of 2012 for the West Traffic Division, which extents west from the Hollywood and Wilshire areas to the coast.

Anyone with further information about the collision is asked to contact the LAPD’s West Traffic Division at (213)473-0222.