Man faces DUI charge after Lawndale crash leaves passenger critical

A man is facing a charge of driving under the influence after a crash in Lawndale that left a passenger in critical condition early Sunday.

Police said the man was behind the wheel of a 2007 Chrysler 300 around 2:45 a.m., when the vehicle flipped over near Oxford Avenue and Knorr Street.

Officers arrived to find the car resting on its roof in the yard of a home on the 700 block of Knorr. They smelled an odor of alcohol emanating from the driver, police said.

Both he and a female passenger were extricated from the wreck.

Both were taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center, where the woman was placed in critical condition with a fractured spine and foot, police said.

The driver was hospitalized in stable condition. His identity was not released.

Charges of DUI and related offenses were pending against him Sunday morning, police said.