Crime & Safety

Driver Arrested in Deadly Newport Hit And Run

A 25-year-old was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and hit and run after allegedly hitting two cyclists, killing one Newport Beach.

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — A suspected hit-and-run motorist was in jail facing a Tuesday court date, accused of a drunken crash that killed one bicyclist and injured another in Newport Beach.

The bicyclist killed in the crash was Jose Vasquez-Perez, 41, of Costa Mesa, according to the coroner's office.

The medical condition of the second bicyclist was not immediately known, said Newport Beach police Sgt. Justin Morouse.

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Vasquez-Perez was hit about at 1:20 a.m. Saturday as he was biking north on Newport Boulevard, approaching Industrial Way, according to the coroner's office. He died at the scene.

A dark-colored SUV was driven a few blocks or so, before its driver stopped.

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Taylor Evans, 25, of Santa Ana was arrested on suspicion of felony drunken driving, hit and run, and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, Morouse said. He was held in lieu of $100,000 bail at the Men's Central Jail in Santa Ana and was scheduled for a Tuesday court appearance, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

City News Service; Photo Shutterstock