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Woman killed in alleged Long Beach DUI crash identified as a Cypress resident

by in News

LONG BEACH – The coroner’s office released the name of a young woman on Wednesday, Aug. 21, after she was killed Sunday in a two-vehicle crash in Long Beach while riding with an allegedly impaired driver, who was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and vehicular manslaughter.

Marilyn Araiza, 21, of Cypress, died at a hospital a short time after the pre-dawn crash.

She was a passenger in a 1999 Lincoln Town Car driven by Osvaldo Ramirez-Vazquez, who was allegedly speeding eastbound on Pacific Coast Highway when he lost control of the vehicle approaching Grand Avenue around 2:40 a.m. The Lincoln rotated to the left and broadsided the passenger door of a 2014 Cadillac XTS, police said.

  • Investigators suspect DUI in a collision that left one woman dead in Long Beach early Sunday, Aug. 18. (Photo by Chris Villanueva, Contributing Photographer)

  • Investigators suspect DUI in a collision that left one woman dead in Long Beach early Sunday, Aug. 18. (Photo by Chris Villanueva, Contributing Photographer)

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Araiza was trapped inside the Lincoln and was extricated from the wreckage by firefighters. They also had to free the driver of the Cadillac from his vehicle, police said. A 49-year-old Garden Grove resident was taken to an area hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Ramirez-Vazquez escaped the crash with minor injuries, police said.

“Based on both driver’s and witness statements … Ramirez-Vazquez was operating a motor vehicle at a high rate of speed, while under the influence of alcohol, when he lost control striking the Cadillac that was driving in the opposite direction,” according to a Long Beach police statement.

Ramirez-Vazquez, 21, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a single count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, along with an allegation of causing great bodily injury or death. He is due back in court next week.

Long Beach police asked anyone who witnessed the crash to call them at 562-570-5520.