The collision transpired around 3:15 a.m. on June 26, 2026, on Highway 101 near Palmer Road.
Los Alamos, CA – 54-Year-Old Antonio Arroyo has been identified by authorities as the wrong-way driver who died in a fiery collision involving a Chumash Casino Resort bus late June in Los Alamos.
The same man is believed to be the suspect who vandalized a Santa Barbara church some months earlier.
The collision transpired around 3:15 a.m. on June 26, 2026, on Highway 101 near Palmer Road.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the crash happened when Arroyo was driving a Honda Civic northbound in the southbound lanes of Highway 101 when he collided head-on with the Chumash Casino Resort bus.
The Honda caught fire, and the flames spread to the bus and adjacent brush in the center divider.
Arroyo, whose last known address was Santa Barbara, died in the crash.
Authorities had to do a DNA test to confirm the identity of the driver because of the condition of the body. The man is believed to be the suspect who damaged a mosaic depicting Our Lady of Guadalupe and church pews at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Santa Barbara.
Fourteen people on board the bus sustained minor to moderate injuries.
Original Story
Los Alamos, CA – One person was killed and several others injured when a vehicle collided with a bus and sparked a fire in Los Alamos early Friday morning.
According to the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, the incident took place on Highway 101 south of Palmer Road at around 3:15 a.m. June 26.
Authorities reported that a passenger vehicle was traveling north in the southbound lanes of Highway 101 when it collided head-on with an oncoming Chumash Casino bus.
The car burst into flames after the crash, and the fire spread to the bus and nearby brush in the center divider.
At least one person in the passenger car was killed in the accident.
Fourteen passengers riding on the bus were transported to local hospitals by ambulances. The patients were treated for minor injuries.
The California Highway Patrol, Santa Barbara County Fire Department, and American Medical Response helped at the scene.
The accident led to the closure of the southbound lanes of Highway 101 as authorities investigated the incident.
The CHP is handling an ongoing investigation into the deadly Los Alamos accident.