CITY OF COMMERCE, Calif.—A wrong-way driver slammed into a car full of people on Interstate 5 early Friday, killing two women and himself. Two other people were critically injured.

The southbound lanes were closed from 3:10 a.m. to 6:40 a.m., snarling the morning commute.

Steven Quintero, 27, of Gardena, was in a Toyota heading north in the southbound lanes when it collided with a Nissan carrying four people, authorities said.

The crash killed the Nissan's driver and a woman passenger, California Highway Patrol Officer Luis Mendoza said.

CHP and coroner's officials identified them as Arielle Estremo, 20, and Chauncy Reid, 17, both of Anaheim.

The crash also injured two Garden Grove men, ages 18 and 19, who were passengers in the Nissan. One was listed as critical but stable and the other was in critical condition in the intensive care ward at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Adelaida De La Cerda said.

Their names were not immediately released.

It was unclear whether alcohol or drugs played a role in the crash but "it is suspected," Mendoza said.

It was not immediately clear whether any of the victims were wearing seatbelts, CHP Officer Francisco Villalobos said.


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