2 Children Die in Crash; Driver Held

Two children were killed Saturday when a suspected drunk driver’s pickup truck crashed into the rear of a car in which the children were riding, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Eight others were injured in the four-car accident on the northbound Santa Ana Freeway just north of Atlantic Boulevard in City of Commerce, said CHP Officer Bruce Ferrier.

Coroner’s officials identified the dead children as Saeed Farqui, 9, and Noor Khan, 2.

CHP officers identified the driver of the pickup as Cuauhtemoc Guzman, 38, of Pico Rivera. Guzman, who suffered only minor injuries, was taken to County-USC Medical Center, where he was booked in the jail ward on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and felony drunk driving, Ferrier said.

The accident occurred about 1 a.m. when a 1996 Ford Ranger pickup truck driven by Guzman hit a 1997 Nissan Sentra carrying the two children and another 7-year-old child in the rear seat and two adults in the front seats, Ferrier said.

The Nissan and the pickup then ran into other vehicles.

The 7-year-old child sustained minor injuries. The two adults, believed to be the parents of the 2-year-old child, had major injuries and were taken to County-USC for treatment.

Four occupants of another car had moderate injuries and were taken to area hospitals, Ferrier said. A single motorist in a fourth car in the accident was unharmed, he said.

The accident tied up traffic on that section of the Santa Ana Freeway until 6:30 a.m., Ferrier said.