SoCal man hit car at 100 mph, hurtling it into wetlands, prosecutors say. He faces murder charge
Huntington Beach police have arrested a 24-year-old Long Beach man on suspicion of murder, stemming from a fatal crash in April.
Detectives from the Huntington Beach Police Department’s Special Investigation Bureau and Major Accident Investigation Team located Lukas McHargue in Oceanside on Wednesday and took him into custody, police spokesperson Jessica Cuchilla said. He is being held in the Orange County Jail without bail.
McHargue has been charged with one count of murder by the Orange County district attorney’s office related to an April crash that claimed the life of 53-year-old Heather Lewis of Long Beach.
Officials allege that McHargue was driving his white BMW 328i at more than 100 mph shortly before crashing into Lewis’ silver Kia Soul on Pacific Coast Highway south of Warner Avenue. The impact sent Lewis’ vehicle off the roadway and into the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, where it overturned and became submerged, trapping her inside, authorities said.
Investigators said McHargue’s blood-alcohol level was more than double the legal limit and that he had also consumed marijuana, according to Cuchilla.
Lewis was extracted from the vehicle but died of her injuries at a hospital.
The investigation further determined McHargue had been repeatedly warned that impaired driving could kill someone and had acknowledged that risk. Under those circumstances, a fatal DUI can be charged as second-degree murder in California.
“Driving in excess of 100 miles per hour, at more than double the posted speed limit and with an alcohol level more than double the legal limit is not an accident,” Huntington Beach Police Chief Eric Parra said in a statement. “This was a series of reckless choices that ended an innocent woman’s life.”
The investigation into the crash remains ongoing. Anyone who may have witnessed the collision, or events leading up to it, is encouraged to contact Huntington Beach police traffic investigator Vishal Rattanchandani at (714) 536-5231.