Bauhaus goth-rocker Peter Murphy arrested in DUI

Peter Murphy, lead singer of 1970s British goth-rock band Bauhaus, was arrested Saturday after he allegedly rear-ended a vehicle in Glendale, injured the driver and then fled to Los Angeles, where he was blocked by an eyewitness until police arrived, officials said.

The eyewitness followed Murphy, 55, from the crash at Central and Goode avenues in Glendale to the 3400 block of Barham Boulevard in Los Angeles because “he was afraid [Murphy] would kill someone with his driving,” according to Glendale police.

Murphy, who was in a Subaru Forester, reportedly struck a Mercedes about 11:48 a.m. at the intersection, then drove around it and entered the 134 Freeway, police said. As he fled the scene, a witness who was washing windows snapped a photograph of Murphy’s vehicle, which had sustained moderate front-end damage.

The driver of the Mercedes was also able to write down Murphy’s license plate number before Glendale fire personnel took her away on a gurney, police said.

Meanwhile, the driver of a pickup truck reportedly followed Murphy to Los Angeles, where he pulled in front of Murphy's Subaru, blocking it, and called Glendale police to tell them he was detaining Murphy.

Los Angeles police then detained Murphy until Glendale police arrived.

Glendale officers said Murphy appeared to be at points “very confused” and had difficulty recalling the day and time.

Murphy denied drinking alcohol that day, adding that he had only taken his regular prescription pills for depression, according to police.

Murphy — who is from England but lives in Turkey — reportedly admitted to being involved in a collision, telling officers he was jet-lagged from a recent flight, police said.

Inside the L.A. police patrol car where Murphy had been detained, officers reported finding a small plastic bag, possibly of methamphetamine, police said. Murphy denied that the bag belonged to him, but officers said they believed he was trying to discard it in the patrol car.

Murphy was arrested on suspicion of causing injuries while driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, felony hit-and-run and possessing methamphetamine, police said.

He remained in custody Monday in lieu of $500,000 bail, which was set after officers expressed concern that he could be a flight risk, police said.

Murphy is best known for his lead vocals with the group Bauhaus, which recorded four albums and ignited the got- rock movement. The group is known for the hit “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” as well as “She’s in Parties” and “Kick in the Eye.”

After Bauhaus broke up in 1983, he helped form Dalis Car and went on to record several solo albums.

-- Veronica Rocha, Times Community News

Photo: From left, David J, Peter Murphy, Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins of Bauhaus. Credit: Los Angeles Times