Investigators arrested a suspected DUI driver after a hit-and-run crash killed a woman and her dog Sunday morning in an unincorporated area bordering Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, authorities said.
Ali Zohair Fakhreddine, 31, allegedly ran a red light as he drove southbound along Irvine Avenue through the intersection with Mesa Drive, according to California Highway Patrol. He is accused of hitting the woman as she walked her dog through a crosswalk in the intersection at about 6:34 a.m.
CHP officials said Fakhreddine did not stop to help the victims and kept driving southbound on Irvine. First responders later pronounced the woman and her dog dead at the scene.
Authorities have not released the woman’s identity or age pending notification of family members. She was a resident of Newport Beach.
About three hours after the deadly crash, Riverside police told CHP officials that officers had detained Fakhreddine, a resident of Riverside. He allegedly had “fresh damage to the right front” of his 2014 Hyundai, CHP said in a news release.
CHP officers responded to the area and arrested Fakhreddine on suspicion of driving under the influence and being involved in a hit-and-run crash, the agency said.
Authorities have not released other details on how Fakhreddine was identified as the suspect.
Anyone with any information about the cause of the collision can call Officer J. Patterson with the Santa Ana CHP office at 714-567-6000.