Arrest Made in Fatal Crash at Palm Desert Intersection

Palm Desert, CA One person was killed and another injured when a suspected drunk driver crashed into another car in Palm Desert, authorities said. The collision was reported at 10:07 p.m. Saturday in the 34000 block of Monterey Avenue at Dinah Shore Drive, according to Sgt. Chris Willison of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. A preliminary investigation revealed that Thousand Palms resident Leon Castellanos, 27, was driving a Ford Expedition northbound on Monterey Avenue when he collided with a white Ford Mustang in the intersection of Monterey Avenue and Dinah Shore Drive, Willison said. A passenger in the Mustang, identified only as a Palm Desert resident, was pronounced dead at the scene, Willison said. The driver of the Mustang was taken to a hospital "as a precautionary measure," he added. Castellanos was not injured, but was taken to a hospital as a precaution before being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and booked at Indio Jail, Willison said. The intersection was temporarily closed while deputies investigated the crash. Anyone with information about the crash was urged to call Officer Whitley at the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station at (760)836-1600. Anonymous tips can be submitted at (760) 341-7867.