Irvine Man Arrested In Fatal Long Beach PCH Hit-And-Run: Reports

LONG BEACH, CA — A 23-year-old Irvine man was arrested Friday after police said he struck and killed a man in a wheelchair who was crossing Pacific Coast Highway in a marked crosswalk, then drove away without rendering aid.

Ethan Chung was booked into Long Beach City Jail on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter following the collision at East Seventh Street and Pacific Coast Highway, according to the Long Beach Police Department. His bail was set at $50,000.

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Officers were dispatched to the area at about 12:35 a.m. after receiving reports that a white sedan had struck a pedestrian and fled. When officers arrived, they found an unconscious adult man in the roadway and began lifesaving measures, police said. Long Beach Fire Department paramedics responded and determined the man had died from injuries sustained in the collision.

The victim's identity will be determined by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner, according to police.

Man Was In Marked Crosswalk

The preliminary investigation found that the victim was traveling eastbound in a wheelchair across Pacific Coast Highway at East Seventh Street and was in a marked crosswalk when he was struck. Police said Chung was driving a 2021 BMW southbound on Pacific Coast Highway when the vehicle collided with the man. The BMW stopped following the collision but then drove away without the driver rendering aid, according to investigators.

Witnesses described the fleeing vehicle as a white BMW, and officers quickly located the vehicle and its driver at Second Street and Pacific Coast Highway, police said. Earlier KTLA reporting showed a white BMW with significant front-end damage, including a damaged hood. Video from the scene also showed the victim's badly damaged wheelchair in the roadway.

Early reports had not established whether the victim was using the wheelchair when he was struck. The subsequent police investigation confirmed he was in the wheelchair and traveling through the marked crosswalk at the time of the collision.

Cause Remains Under Investigation

Police said speed, distracted driving and impaired driving do not appear to have been factors in the collision. Investigators have not said what they believe caused the BMW to strike the victim, and the cause of the collision remains under investigation.

East Seventh Street was closed in both directions between Pacific Coast Highway and Bellflower Boulevard during the investigation. The roadway reopened at about 7 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Times.

Anyone who witnessed the collision was asked to contact Long Beach Police Department Collision Investigation Detail Detective Ashley Van Holland at 562-570-7355. Anonymous tips can be submitted to LA Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477), through the P3 Tips app or online.