A motorist was driving intoxicated when he ran a red light and slammed into a charter bus late Monday, killing himself and injuring six others, San Bernardino police said.

Vernon Christopher Hernandez, a 32-year-old Fontana man, was speeding west on Mirada Avenue about 11:30 p.m. in his 1995 Dodge pickup truck when he hit the bus at the Victoria Avenue intersection, witnesses and police said.

The bus, which carried 23 passengers, was headed from San Manuel Casino to Los Angeles.

Hernandez died at the scene. Six passengers on the charter bus were taken to hospitals with minor injuries.

"The initial investigation places the driver of the pickup truck at fault and indications are that alcohol or drugs may have played a role in the collision," traffic Sgt. Rich Lawhead said in a written statement.

Hernandez has been arrested in the past on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance and convicted of driving without a license, according to San Bernardino Superior Court records.

Anyone with information is asked to call San Bernardino police at (909) 384-5791 or (909) 384-5656.