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A suspected DUI driver has been arrested after allegedly crashing into a vehicle in the Venice area, killing an off-duty firefighter who was on vacation, police said Tuesday.
The multivehicle collision happened shortly after 10 p.m. Monday in the 4000 block of South Via Marina, on the border of Venice and Marina del Rey.
Three firefighters, all from Marietta, Georgia, were traveling in a vehicle when they were struck by an alleged DUI driver, according to Los Angeles Police Department Officer Liliana Preciado.
One of the firefighters was ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene, she said. Two other firefighters were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
The Marietta Police Department identified the firefighter who died as Ron C. Herens.
The department posted a statement from Marietta Fire Chief Jackie Gibbs on its Facebook page on Tuesday morning.
The statement read in part, “It is with great sadness that I report the death of Marietta firefighter Ron C Herens. Ron tragically died in a car crash … while on vacation with four other firefighters.”
Herens was a passenger in the car, according to Gibbs.
Guest and Blanchard suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were recovering at UCLA Medical Center, the fire chief said.
The suspected DUI driver was arrested, according to Preciado. He was eventually identified as Benjamin Albert Seider, 23.
No additional details were immediately available.
KTLA’s Alberto Mendez and Matt Phillips contributed to this story.
