Crews worked Sunday morning to restore power for 1,200 homes and businesses in El Sereno after a sport utility vehicle sheared a utility pole in a case of suspected drunken driving, police said.
Police believe a man behind the wheel of the vehicle was driving drunk when he lost control and crashed at 3:40 a.m. on Valley Boulevard near the Long Beach Freeway in El Sereno north of downtown Los Angeles, police said.
The SUV cut the pole in half before landing on its side in the front yard of an apartment complex, said Sgt. Kevin Moore, of the Los Angeles Police Department.
The incident began when the driver of the SUV confronted another driver in a Subaru and asked him where he was from, a common reference to gang affiliation, police said.
The Subaru driver became scared and drove away.
The man in the SUV followed the Subaru before losing control and crashing, officials said.
The driver of the Subaru who saw the crash called police to report it and the confrontation.
Once police arrived, they detained the SUV driver, who they believe was drunk.
The driver, who was not immediately identified, was being evaluated at a hospital for injuries. Police said they plan to book him into jail, but details were not immediately available, Moore said.
Investigators were also searching for two other people who they believe were riding in the SUV at the time of the crash, police said.