Drunk Driver Charged In Crash that Killed a Taxi Driver

September 30, 2008

Los Angeles, CA – A 29-year-old man who was suspected of drunk driving and causing a collision in Hollywood was charged with DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter. The collision, which happened last September 11, had left a taxi driver dead.

Avishkar Padhye will be arraigned in Los Angeles. He was arrested after the crash in September 11, but was released on a $100,000 bail.

According to traffic authorities, Padhye was driving south on Highland Avenue on his BMW around 2:30 AM, a few minutes after the bars and night spots in the area were clearing out. When Padhye was at Sunset Boulevard, he allegedly ran a red light, slamming into the taxi driven by Karen Karapetyan, 33, a resident of Garden Grove.

Karapetyan was rushed to the hospital where she died around an hour later.

If Padhye is convicted on DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter, he is facing up to 10 years in prison.