Six people were killed and two critically injured Sunday evening when a minivan crashed into a tree on a rural Napa County road, authorities said.
The driver, Norberto Celerino Villalva, 53, of Stockton was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, causing injury and death, following the single-vehicle crash on Pope Valley Road, the California Highway Patrol said.
Villalva and one passenger were airlifted to trauma centers with serious injuries. A CHP spokesperson said Villalva was arrested at the hospital, where he was being treated for severe injuries and will likely remain for some time.
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Officers responded just before 5:50 p.m. to the crash in unincorporated Napa County near the Pope Valley Winery and Calla Lily Estate & Winery, where they found a Toyota Sienna minivan off the roadway. Representatives of the wineries did not respond to requests for comment Monday.
The minivan was heading south when it left the road and hit a tree, according to a preliminary CHP investigation. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
Six occupants were pronounced dead at the scene; they have yet to be identified.
The crash closed Pope Valley Road as authorities investigated and cleared the scene. The road has since reopened.