LLANO – One person was killed and another person was injured in a crash Sunday morning involving two all-terrain vehicles in Llano, where approximately 1,000 people were in attendance to watch a clandestine off-roading event, authorities said.
The crash occurred a little after 3:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 13, in the area of Largo Vista Road and Pearblossom Highway, the California Highway Patrol reported.
Paramedics dispatched to the crash scene rushed one person to an area hospital, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which added that at least 1,000 people were attendance “in the middle of the desert.”
It was unclear if the fatally injured victim died at the scene or at a hospital. The identity is being withheld pending next of kin notification.
A dispatcher for the county fire department also said that there was a stage set up at the crash scene.
A watch commander at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Palmdale station said the crash investigation was being handled by the CHP. The CHP could not confirm the attendance numbers or the presence of a stage. No further information on the incident was immediately released.
Large gatherings are prohibited in Los Angeles County and all of Southern California due to the coronavirus pandemic.
UPDATE: The deceased has been identified as 19-year-old Cristian Lopez of La Quinta, according to the coroner’s office and the CHP.
According to a California Highway Patrol report, the fatal collision involved a 2016 Polaris Razor XP900 that Lopez was driving northbound in an unimproved dirt field east of 233rd Street East and north of Avenue U. The vehicle turned sharply to the left, causing it to overturn, and Lopez suffered fatal injuries, the CHP report states. His passenger, 35-year-old Aaron Iribe of Oakland, sustained major injuries and was transported to Antelope Valley Hospital for treatment.
“Alcohol (and/or) drugs are suspected to be a factor in this collision,” the CHP report states.
Anyone with information regarding this collision is encouraged to contact Officer A. Diaz at the CHP Antelope Valley Area office at 661-948-8541.
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Robert says
I attended this awesome party… There’s another one planned in two weeks at a new location.
Off-Road says
“Alcohol (and/or) drugs are suspected to be a factor…”
Mixing intoxicants with a motorized vehicle makes sense.