The driver of a Lamborghini SUV lost control of the vehicle and crashed on Wilcox Avenue on Aug. 21, knocking down power lines and a fence outside a post office parking lot.
The driver, identified as Gian Chagas, 22, of New Jersey, was arrested for felony driving under the influence. Detective Olin Osborne, of the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Traffic Division, said Chagas was not injured, which was surprising due to the severity of the collision. Three passengers in the SUV sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene and released.
The collision occurred at approximately 2:30 a.m. near the intersection of Selma and Wilcox avenues. Chagas allegedly told officers at the scene he had been drinking with friends prior to the crash, Osborne said. The driver voluntarily took an alcohol breathalyzer test that indicated he was over the legal limit for driving, but Osborne did not release the results of the test.
“Otherwise, he was not very cooperative,” Osborne added, stating that the driver did not answer further questions. “Besides the vehicle itself, there was a lot of property that was damaged. It was a bad combination of speed and alcohol.”
The detective did not have any information about where the driver was coming from nor where he was going. Authorities believe Chagas and the other people in the vehicle may have been at a bar or nightclub in the area based on the time the collision occurred. The detective added that the Lamborghini had been rented from a third-party through an app.
Chagas has been formerly charged with felony driving under the influence and is expected to return to court on Dec. 22. He was released on $100,000 bail.
Osborne said driving under the influence is a frequently-occurring problem around the bars and nightclubs in Hollywood, and that extra officers are often deployed as a preventative measure. He also cautioned about the dangers of drinking and driving and said police will be holding more DUI checkpoints in the Hollywood area.
“Traditionally, we’ll see more of that type of thing after 2 a.m.,” he said. “We are well aware of it.”
Anyone with information is urged to call LAPD West Traffic Division investigators at (213)473-0234.
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