Two images show the aftermath of an alleged hit-and-run homicide in Orange, Calif. (Orange Police Department)
A California man with a lengthy history of DUI convictions killed a pedestrian in a hit-and-run earlier this week, authorities say.
Jonathan Lopez, 31, stands accused of one count each of felony DUI, felony hit and run, evading, and vehicular homicide, according to a press release issued by the Orange Police Department.
At the time of the incident, he was allegedly driving without a license.
Police received a call about a man suffering from “traumatic injuries” on North Tustin Street at around 11:18 a.m. on Tuesday morning. There, officers found the victim, and witnesses who said he had been hit while crossing the street by a gray sedan traveling northbound. Firefighters declared the man deceased at the scene.
Law enforcement have yet to release the victim’s identity.
The witnesses allegedly told police the sedan did not stop after hitting the man and instead fled the scene, prompting law enforcement to head north and look for the described car in question.
The search did not take long.
By 11:28 a.m., roughly 1.2 miles away, officers discovered a gray Toyota Scion that had clearly been in a recent crash due to significant front-end damage. The car briefly gave chase, shifted direction, and was eventually pulled over back on North Tustin Street.
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“The major front-end damage on the vehicle is probably one of the main reasons that our detectives were able to locate it so quickly,” Orange Police Lt. Phil McMullin told West Coast ABC flagship KABC. “We’re amazed that he was still able to drive the vehicle and then be in a pursuit for over a mile.”
Lopez was then arrested and taken to the police department headquarters for further investigation.
According to police, the defendant “displayed objective signs and symptoms of alcohol intoxication” at the time of his arrest.
In the last 10 years, Lopez was convicted of drunk-driving on four separate occasions, police say.
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“We’re going to be working with the district attorney’s office to pursue homicide charges because with the prior convictions there’s no way, or no reason he should be out driving on a road still being intoxicated,” McMullin added in comments to KABC. “He hasn’t learned his lesson.”
Pedestrian fatalities have been increasing apace in recent years, with 2022 the deadliest year on record, according to the most recent report by the Governors Highway Safety Association. Since 2019, deaths have increased by nearly 20 percent.
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