Peter Murphy arrested for alleged DUI hit-and-run in Glendale
Peter Murphy, lead singer of British Goth rock band Bauhaus, was arrested Saturday after he allegedly rear-ended a vehicle in Glendale, injured the driver and then fled to Los Angeles, where he was blocked by an eyewitness until police arrived, officials said.
The eyewitness followed Murphy, 55, from the crash at Central and Goode avenues in Glendale to the 3400 block of Barham Boulevard in Los Angeles because “he was afraid [Murphy] would kill someone with his driving,” according to Glendale police.
Murphy, who was in a Subaru Forester, reportedly struck a Mercedes about 11:48 a.m. at the intersection, then drove around it and got on the Ventura (134) Freeway, police said. As he fled the scene, a witness who was washing windows, snapped a photograph of Murphy’s Subaru, which sustained moderate front-end damage.
The driver of the Mercedes was also able to write down Murphy’s license plate number before Glendale fire personnel hauled her away on a gurney, police said.
Meanwhile, the driver of a pickup truck reportedly followed Murphy to Los Angeles, where he pulled in front of him, blocked his Subaru and called Glendale police to tell them he was detaining Murphy.
Los Angeles police detained Murphy until Glendale police arrived.
Glendale officers said Murphy appeared to be at points “very confused” and had difficulty recalling the day and time.
Murphy denied drinking alcohol that day, adding that he had only taken his regular prescription pills for depression, according to police.
Murphy — who’s from England but lives in Turkey — reportedly admitted to being involved in a traffic collision, telling officers he was jet-lagged from a recent flight, police said.
Inside the Los Angeles police patrol car where Murphy had been detained, officers reported finding a small plastic bag, possibly of methamphetamine, police said. Murphy denied the bag belonged to him, but officers said they believed he was trying to discard it in the patrol car.
Murphy was arrested on suspicion of causing injuries while driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, felony hit-and-run and possessing methamphetamine, police said.
He remained in custody Monday in lieu of $500,000 bail, which was set after officers expressed concern that he could be a flight risk, police said.
Murphy is best known for his lead vocals with the group Bauhaus, which recorded four albums and ignited the Goth rock movement. The group is known for its greatest hit “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” as well as “She’s in Parties” and “Kick in the Eye.”
After Bauhaus broke up in 1983, he helped form Dalis Car and went on to record several solo albums.
-- Veronica Rocha, Times Community News
Follow Veronica Rocha on Google+ and on Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA.