Mother and son killed by suspected drunk driver in Westlake area

LOS ANGELES - A suspected drunk driver was arrested in connection with a crash in Los Angeles' Westlake neighborhood that killed a mother and her son the weekend before Thanksgiving. 

It happened Sunday around 5:20 p.m. at Wilshire Boulevard and Burlington Avenue, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Police said the suspect, 31-year-old Isaiah Villegas, was driving a 2008 Cadillac CTS "at a high rate of speed" eastbound on Wilshire Boulevard when the vehicle went out of control and hit a light pole.

The Cadillac went on to strike two pedestrians - a 63-year-old woman and her son, 33-year-old Elio Edilmar Bautista - who were standing near the corner of Wilshire and Burlington, officials said. The man died at the scene, while the woman was taken to a hospital where she later died from her injuries.

Villegas drove away from the scene but was detained not far from the site of the crash. 

"The initial investigation determined that the driver displayed objective symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol," police said. "Speed was also a factor in the traffic collision."

A GoFundMe has been set up for the family.

Villegs was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and was held on $110,000 bail.

Anyone with information is urged to call police at 213- 833-3713 or 877-LAPD-247. Tipsters may also call Crime Stoppers at 800-222- TIPS, or use the website www.lacrimestoppers.org.