This time the killer didn’t have a chance to sober up first.
The Orange County Register is reporting that a bike rider was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Newport Beach last night.
The driver, identified as 23-year-old Taylor Evans, fled the scene after striking two people riding their bikes on northbound Newport Boulevard near Industrial Way at 1:19 am.
One of the two victims apparently died at the scene. The other suffered undisclosed injuries.
Neither has been publicly identified at this time.
No word on how the collision occurred.
Evans was arrested a few blocks away at Newport Boulevard near E. 16th Street as he tried to push his damaged SUV out of the roadway. He was booked on suspicion of felony DUI with bodily injury, hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter.
This is the 31st bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth in Orange County. This is also at least the 13th bicycling death in Newport Beach since 2010, an average of nearly two a year.
Update: The City News Service has identified the victim as 41-year old Costa Mesa resident Jose Vasquez-Perez. The story also places the location as Costa Mesa, though the crash is being investigated by the Newport Beach Police Department.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Jose Vasquez-Perez and his loved ones.
The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was taken to St. Bernardine Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 11:47 pm.
The driver fled scene, but was arrested sometime later. No word on his or her ID, or if drugs or alcohol was involved.
The discrepancy was explained by KABC-7, which said the victim was towing the shopping cart behind his bike. However, the report does not appear to be online at this time.
This is the 30th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the sixth in San Bernardino County.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
Quiroz was trapped underneath the car, which continued on to strike two parked cars. He was taken to UCI Medical Center after responding officers and bystanders lifted the car off him, where he was pronounced dead at 5:28 pm.
No word on how the collision occurred, though police don’t believe drugs or alcohol use was a factor.
A street view shows a narrow, two-lane residential street with parking on both sides.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Garden Grove Police Department at 714/741-5823.
This is the 29th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth in Orange County. He is also the 6th bike rider to die in Garden Grove since 2011.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Eliseo Quiroz and all this family.
A woman has been killed in a collision while riding her bike in Big Bear.
And as usual for the Inland Empire, there’s almost no information available. Except this time, there’s an LA connection.
According to the San Bernardino Sun, a 56-year old Los Angeles woman was stuck by a driver around 10:50 Monday morning at the intersection of Menlo Drive and Butte Drive. She was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead at 11:33 am.
No word on the identity of the driver, or how the collision occurred.
A street view shows a T-intersection with a two-lane road on Menlo connecting with a narrow, single lane roadway on Butte.
This is the 28th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fifth in San Bernardino County. That compares with 47 bike-related deaths this time last year.
Update: The victim has been identified as Karen Antonich, who was riding with a partner when she was struck by a driver headed east on Butte Drive.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Karen Antonich and her loved ones.
According to the paper, the driver has not been ticketed or charged.
The gardening truck was parked in the bike lane, but no one was cited, according to the sheriff’s department. The crash is still under investigation.
California law states vehicles may park in a bike lane if there aren’t any “no parking” signs present and it isn’t impacting the normal movement of a bicyclist, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety.
It’s hard to argue that the truck wasn’t blocking the lane if the victim couldn’t safely get around it.
The apparent purpose behind CVC 21211(b) is to keep cities from having to choose between parking and bike lanes. Yet in effect, it confuses drivers who don’t know whether or not they can park there, since it’s hard to park any vehicle in a bike lane without blocking it.
And as this tragedy shows, the consequences can be deadly for people on bicycles.
This is the 27th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth in Riverside County.
Update: The victim has been identified as 81-year old Indio resident Larry Lee Ortner. The Riverside County News Source places the scene of the crash at the southern location, around the bend of the road above Calle Chillon. Thanks to Victor B for the heads-up.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Larry Lee Ortner and his loved ones.
Hesperia resident Ryan Dennis Angus was riding west on Ranchero around 8:27 pm when he was struck in the head with the wing mirror of a passing utility truck.
A street view shows a wide-open two lane roadway with a minimal dirt shoulder.
The driver remained at the scene and cooperated with authorities. No word on whether he will be ticketed or charged as a result of the crash.
However, this crash could not have happened if the driver had given the victim the minimum three-foot passing distance required by state law.
This is the 26th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the fourth in San Bernardino County. He is also the sixth bike rider to be killed in Hesperia since 2011.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for Ryan Dennis Angus and his loved ones.
He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 2:36 this morning, according to the Riverside County Coroner’s office.
He has not yet been identified as of this writing.
No other information is available. However, it appears the driver may have remained at the scene, since a sheriff’s official reports it’s unknown if drugs or alcohol were involved.
A street view shows a T-intersection with a four lane highway on San Jacinto Avenue, with a dirt shoulder on one side and a sidewalk on the other, and a two lane street on Shaver.
It’s yet another tragic reminder to always carry ID when you ride.
This is the 25th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the third in Riverside County.
Update: The Valley News reports the victim was hit when he was traveling west across San Jacinto, and was hit by the driver of a northbound Toyota Camry, then again by the driver of a pickup as he was laying on the ground.
The paper notes the dark roadway has been the scene of several recent major and fatal collisions. Which could make the city responsible for failing to correct the situation.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and his loved ones.
Police have not confirmed whether the crash was intentional, as a witness alleged.
The name of the victim has still not been released, pending notification of next of kin; the surviving victim has been released from the hospital and is recovering at home.
Following in the footsteps of former Councilmember Tom LaBonge, Councilmember Paul Krekorian snatched defeat from the jaws of victory last week.
Announcing his decision on the Friday before a three-day weekend — a longstanding public relations ploy to ensure whatever you do doesn’t make the next news cycle — Krekorian pulled his support from the nearly shovel-ready plan to remake dangerous Lankershim Blvd into a safer Complete Street that would meet the needs of all road users.
The LACBC reports that he blocked the plan, like LaBonge before him, saying it had to go back to the drawing board because of inadequate public outreach.
Apparently, the countless well-attended public meetings, workshops and pop-up bike lanes held over the past year don’t count. Never mind all the previous meetings going back nearly a decade.
Instead, Krekorian inexplicably threw his hat in with street safety opponents Gil Cedillo, Paul Koretz and Curren Price, all of whom blocked much-needed safety projects supported by large segments of the community.
And never mind that this was exactly the sort of lifesaving project he claims to support, judging by this quote from Yo! Venice.
“Reducing pedestrian and traffic fatalities is something we urgently need to work toward,” said Krekorian, who serves as the Chair of the Council’s Budget and Finance Committee.
Evidently, like Cedillo, Koretz and Price, he’s all for projects designed to save lives. As long as they’re in someone else’s district.
Which means businesses on Lankershim will continue to suffer, and people will continue to risk their lives, however they chose to travel.
And they’ll have their councilmember to blame.
The LACBC offered this call to action in response to Krekorian’s misguided decision:
We firmly believe that this is not an approach that is consistent with Vision Zero’s goal of saving lives. Want to help? Join us in calling Councilmember Krekorian (818-755-7676) and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (213-972-8470) today to tell them you don’t think this project needs to go back to the drawing board.
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In today’s edition of how to lose your job as a pro cyclist, Daniel Summerhill, a rider on the United Healthcare Pro Cycling team, is charged with firing his gun at a Colorado hillside near occupied homes on a February training ride; he says he did it because he was having a bad day.
Never mind why he had a gun in his jersey pocket to begin with.
The San Diego Union-Tribune gets it right after a worrisome start, concluding that bike lanes have little or no negative effect on business. And are often good for local businesses, even if that means a loss of parking spaces.
GQ spots actor Justin Theroux riding his fixie through the streets of New York with a $3,000 Tom Ford bag on his back. Note to Theroux: Next time you have an extra three grand lying around, spend it on the bike, not the bag.
Evidently having run out of kids to order off his lawn, a columnist with the New York Post takes time out of his busy day to tell cyclists just how much they suck. Mike Wilkinson reminds up this is how it’s really done.
International
Toronto has a 10-year plan to build out a complete bicycling network to coax nervous riders onto the roads, though polite Canadian bicyclists want it built sooner, if possible. LA has a 25-year plan to create a safe bicycling network, but we’re told it’s only “aspirational.”
According to KTLA-5, the victims were riding north on the 6500 block of Winnetka Ave around 12:45 am after leaving their jobs at a nearby restaurant, when they were struck by the driver of a pickup.
A witness reported seeing the driver swerve into one victim, then swerve again to strike the other, in what may have been an intentional attack.
The driver reportedly stopped to look at the crash scene, then got back in his truck and calmly drove away.
Both victims were taken to a nearby hospital, where one of the men died. The other was reportedly conscious with serious injuries.
Neither man has been publicly identified at this time.
Driver may have targeted victims
LAPD investigators were attempting to determine if the attack was intentional or if the driver may have been under the influence.
It’s also possible that they may have been followed from the restaurant at Ventura Boulevard and Tampa Avenue.
The LA Daily News offers a description of the driver and suspect vehicle.
The vehicle was described as a white Ford or Chevrolet “utility style” pickup truck with toolboxes on the sides and possible front-end damage. The motorist was described as a white man in his late 30s or early 40s, with “close cropped” hair on his head and facial hair.
Anyone with information is urged to call 877/527-3247.
This is the 24th bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the 13th in Los Angeles County; it’s also the fourth in the City of Los Angeles.
Update 2: A ghost bike will be placed at the site at 9 pm tonight.
The Daily News offers an update on the story, focusing on the dangers of the street. Which is irrelevant if the driver really did attack the victims on purpose. Just like the LAPD’s tone deaf suggestion to use lights and helmets, which aren’t likely to fend off someone intent on murder.
Update 3: The LAPD has released news that the two victims were both Hispanic men; as the Daily News noted, they were leaving their work at the Cho Cho San sushi bar in Tarzana.
The victim has still not been publicly identified pending notification of next of kin; the delay suggests that they are outside of the country. Meanwhile, the surviving victim has been released from the hospital and is resting at home.
Here is video of the suspect truck police are looking for.
If you have any knowledge of the crash or driver, you’re urged to contact Valley Homicide at the numbers below.
Anyone with information about this collision is asked to contact Valley Bureau Homicide, Detective Doerbecker at 818-374-1943. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247). Anyone wishing to remain anonymous should call the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or go directly to www.lacrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may also visit ww.lapdonline.org, and click on “Anonymous Web Tips” under the “Get Involved-Crime Stoppers” menu to submit an online tip. Lastly, tipsters may also download the “P3 Tips” mobile application and select the LA Regional Crime Stoppers as their local program.
My deepest sympathy and prayers for the victim and all his loved ones. And my prayers for the second victim for a full and fast recovery.
Thanks to Steve Spence, Ed Ryder and Mike Wilkinson for the heads-up.
She was booked on suspicion of manslaughter and driving under the influence of drugs; however, there’s no word on what she’s suspected of being on. Presumably, police will also get a warrant to determine whether she was using her mobile phone at the time of the crash.
A street view shows an unobstructed two lane highway with a wide paved shoulder on each side.
This is the 23rd bicycling fatality in Southern California this year, and the second in San Diego County.
