Palmdale law enforcement officials told CBS on Sunday morning that a 16-year-old girl died after an alleged drunken driver crashed through an apartment.
A deputy on patrol in the Los Angeles suburb first noticed the vehicle at about 4 in the morning this weekend. The car's back half protruded from the side of an apartment complex, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Ken Wright told CBS Los Angeles.
"The vehicle was embedded into the building, and went into the bedroom of a 16-year-old girl who has passed away as a result of injuries from the accident, as far as we can tell," Wright reported.
"She was my little sister," Yadira Mendoza said. "I just hope people who drink and drive...I mean...they are just causing pain for many families."
Family members identified the victim as Giselle Mendoza. Friends said the deceased girl was a student at Palmdale High School.
According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, 20-year-old Palmdale resident Roberto Rodriguez was arrested in connection with the crash. His Nissan Pathfinder plowed into the corner of the apartment shortly before deputies arrived on the scene.
The girl inside was pronounced dead by police.
Rodriguez was transferred to a nearby hospital with minor injuries, the Associated Press reported. He's been booked for vehicular manslaughter.
Officials said they are holding him in lieu of $100,000 bail.
"Preliminary investigation indicates he was under the influence of alcohol," Lt. Wright said.
A handful of residents inside the apartment were evacuated while police inspected the building on Sunday.
