Fatal PCH Crash Driver Identified As 22-Year-Old Man, Deputies Release More Details

MALIBU, CA — Authorities on Wednesday released more information about the violent crash on Pacific Coast Highway Tuesday night that killed four women, including the identity of the driver.

The crash occurred at around 8:30 p.m. on the 21600 block of PCH near Carbon Canyon. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies' preliminary investigation found that a 22-year-old man, Fraser Michael Bohm, of Malibu, was traveling westbound on PCH when he lost control of his vehicle and swerved toward the shoulder of the north side of PCH, Capt. Jennifer Seetoo of the Malibu/Lost Hills Sheriff's Station said at a Wednesday afternoon news conference.

Bohm's sedan then collided with three parked vehicles. Those vehicles hit four women who were standing on the side of the road. They died from traumatic injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene, Seetoo said.

Bohm was arrested on a charge of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. He has since been released. The driver suffered minor injuries, deputies said.

The women's identities will be released at a later time by the medical examiner, Seeto said. Pepperdine University officials in a statement earlier Wednesday said they believe the women were students at the school.

"After receiving the tragic news of a fatal accident near the Malibu campus last night, the University has reason to believe the four individuals who were killed on Pacific Coast Highway were Seaver College [of Liberal Arts] students," reads a message from Pepperdine shared with the campus community.

"The University is in contact with authorities and will assist with the notifications of family members when we have confirmation. Thereafter, we will provide additional information to the Pepperdine community. In this time of immeasurable grief and unimaginable heartache, we stand together as a community and turn to our faith and each other for comfort in the midst of despair."

Responding to reports that the women may have been attending a nearby fraternity party, deputies said it's unclear whether the women were attending the party, but they understand the women were on the road waiting got meet up with people.

Deputies said they're working to determine if Bohm was impaired at the time of the crash. They said there's no indication that he was involved in any type of street race; a detective said there are no other vehicles believed to be involved in the crash.

All lanes of Pacific Coast Highway between Rambla Vista and Rambla Pacifico were closed through Wednesday morning. The road was reopened to traffic by 10 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.

City News Service contributed to this report.