Suspect arrested in wrong-way crash on 110 Freeway that left taxi driver dead

LOS ANGELES - Southern California authorities said a 23-year-old woman was arrested following a wrong-way crash on the 110 Freeway in South Los Angeles that left a taxi driver dead and two others injured.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Taxi driver killed, 3 injured in wrong-way crash on 110 Freeway in South LA

The suspect, identified by authorities as Samantha Molina, also suffered major injuries in the head-on collision. 

On Friday, officials said they received multiple 911 calls from people reporting a woman in a dark-colored Chevrolet Cruze traveling southbound on the northbound lanes around 3 a.m. A short time later, the compact car crashed head-on with an oncoming Toyota Prius taxi cab near the Exposition Boulevard exit.

When first responders arrived, they found multiple people trapped at the scene. The Jaws of Life were used to pull the three victims and the suspect from the wreckage.

The taxi driver, later identified by the LA County coroner's office as 71-year-old Ken Balayev, was declared dead at the scene. He was a Calabasas resident.

Balayev's passenger, 48-year-old Richard Wold of Los Angeles, was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. 

Officials said Molina and her passenger, 21-year-old Francisco Gil of Los Angeles, were also hospitalized with serious injuries. 

Anyone with information on the case was urged to call the California Highway Patrol's Central Los Angeles Area office at 231-744-2337 or 323-259-3200.

The investigation is ongoing.

City News Service contributed to this report.