NORTH HOLLYWOOD : 12 Injured in Crash Involving 4 Vehicles

Twelve people were injured Sunday night in a chain-reaction collision of three cars and a pickup truck that closed the Hollywood Freeway for two hours.

Police said two of the drivers were suspected of being intoxicated.

Cpl. K. C. Miller of the California Highway Patrol said 11 of the 12 injured were taken to local hospitals. Details were not available about the extent of the injuries.

The accident occurred at 10:40 p.m. Sunday in the northbound lanes of the Hollywood Freeway near Magnolia Boulevard in North Hollywood. A Ford LTD stopped for a Toyota pickup truck broken down in the second lane, which was not involved in the accident. An Acura Legend that stopped abruptly for the Ford was rear-ended by a Chevrolet Monte Carlo, which in turn was rear-ended by a Datsun pickup, police said.

CHP Sgt. Ken Josing said the driver of the Datsun pickup truck, Diomedes S. Giamiao, was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving. He was treated and released from St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Burbank, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The driver of the Monte Carlo, Hernan Velaquez, who was treated at another local hospital, was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor drunk driving, Josing said. The ages and hometowns of Giamiao and Velaquez were not available.

The freeway was closed until 1 a.m.