A Norwalk resident was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI after allegedly crashing into a restaurant in Seal Beach early Sunday morning, leaving two passengers seriously injured.

Authorities received a call about the crash at 1:12 a.m. Sunday and found three men in a vehicle that had crashed into the Taco Surf restaurant at 16281 Pacific Coast Highway, Seal Beach Police said in a news release.

Both passengers were taken to local hospitals. One had bone fractures and other non-life-threatening injuries; the other had major head trauma and fractures and remains in critical condition, according to authorities.

Police said they arrested the driver, 22-year-old Ted Lorenzo Ramirez. He was later booked at the Orange County Jail and has since been released, according to online records.

This is the second time in a year that a vehicle has crashed into the Taco Surf restaurant in the Surfside section of Seal Beach. On March 10, 2021, a driver spun out of control on a wet road and crashed into the front wall, causing significant structural damage.

A photo from March shows the damage to Taco Surf restaurant after a crash that month. Photo courtesy Seal Beach police.

According to one of the restaurant managers, a section of the restaurant was closed for repairs for nine months following that crash. This weekend’s crash did not leave significant damage.

Police say that no other vehicles or pedestrians were involved in the Sunday crash.

“This is a very tragic incident that could have been entirely prevented,” said Chief of Police Philip L. Gonshak. According to Gonshak, the Seal Beach Police Department will continue to dedicate resources to prevent drunk driving and is currently working with neighboring law enforcement agencies to conduct multi-agency DUI saturation patrols, sobriety checkpoints and education campaigns.

The investigation is ongoing and police encouraged anyone with information to contact Traffic Investigator Officer Hector Mercado at 562-799-4100 ext. 1635 or [email protected].