Suspected Drunk Driver Kills 2, Injures 2 in Crash

Two Pepperdine University law students were killed and two were injured when a suspected drunken driver swerved into an oncoming lane of Pacific Coast Highway and plowed over the top of their car, authorities said Wednesday.

The suspect, 37-year-old Kelly Dean Eastman of Los Angeles, was driving erratically on PCH westbound near the Malibu Pier about 7 p.m. Tuesday, said county Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Kevin Mauch. A driver following the suspect called 911 on a cellular telephone to report that the suspect’s minivan was weaving and stopping in traffic.

Eastman’s minivan swerved into the oncoming lane and hit a Mazda Protege carrying the four students, crushing the driver’s side of the car, officials said. Deputies alerted by the 911 call arrived moments after the accident occurred, Mauch said.

Jeannine C. Gregory, 22, of Walled Lake, Mich., a passenger in the back seat, died at the scene. The driver, 22-year-old Kimberly Dawn Ellis of West Covina, was flown by helicopter to UCLA Medical Center, where she died upon arrival, Mauch said.

Passenger Mark Gallagher, 23, of San Diego, was listed in stable condition Wednesday at Harbor-UCLA Hospital after being treated for bruises and a possible concussion.

Samantha A. Dolginer, 22, of Los Angeles, was listed in good condition Wednesday at UCLA Medical Center.

Eastman, who was convicted of drunken driving in Utah in 1994, was treated for minor injuries at Santa Monica-UCLA Hospital and then arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and drunken driving. He was in custody Wednesday in lieu of $200,000 bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned today.