Laguna man arrested after 3-vehicle pileup

A 27-year-old Laguna Beach man escaped with minor injuries after his Porsche Boxster struck three vehicles parked in the West Street vicinity of Coast Highway about 3 p.m. Monday, police said.

The collision ended with a pickup truck on top of the Porsche and two other vehicles. The driver, Christopher Robert Lienhard, allegedly fled to the beach, where he was picked up shortly afterward by officers and later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and a hit-and-run, Laguna Beach police Sgt. Jason Kravetz said.

Two southbound lanes of the highway were closed at 3:10 p.m. during peak traffic hours, tying up the highway for miles. By 4:30 p.m. traffic was reported backed up all the way to Diamond Street.

Lienhard, who was reported to be bloody and shirtless after the collision, was transported to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, Kravetz said. Lienhard had two prior DUI arrests, according to police logs.

A two-hour Sig-Alert was called by police while the vehicles were removed from the location.

— Cindy Frazier