Suspected DUI Driver Arrested In Deadly North County Crash

VISTA, CA – A 33-year-old Escondido man was behind bars Tuesday on suspicion of driving under the influence and causing a deadly three-vehicle crash on a rural Vista roadway, authorities said.

The fatal collision that left a 24-year-old motorcyclist dead happened just before 8 p.m. Monday, and David James Johnson was booked into the Vista Detention Center a little after midnight Tuesday on suspicion of three felony charges, including gross vehicular manslaughter and two counts of driving under the influence.

He was being held Tuesday morning in lieu of $100,000 bail.

According to the California Highway Patrol, Johnson was intoxicated while driving a 2001 Ford F-250 pickup truck eastbound on Gopher Canyon Road east of Fairview Drive when he drifted into oncoming traffic.

Johnson's pickup allegedly sideswiped a 2011 Ford Ranger, causing that pickup to roll, and then continued in the wrong lane, colliding head-on with the motorcycle.

The rider, a 24-year-old San Diego man, died at the scene, the CHP said. His name was not released pending family notifications.

Johnson and the 31-year-old Vista woman in the overturned Ranger both suffered minor injuries, according to the CHP. The Ranger's driver was taken to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido for treatment.

Officers from the CHP Oceanside substation were investigating the deadly collision. Jail records showed Johnson was expected to be arraigned Wednesday at the Vista courthouse.

By City News Service / Image via Shutterstock