Woman struck by car on South Coast Highway dies of injuries, fellow pedestrian arrested

Laguna Beach police are investigating the death of a female pedestrian struck by a vehicle on South Coast Highway Saturday while engaging in an altercation with a man in the middle of the thoroughfare, officials reported.

LBPD spokesman Lt. Jesse Schmidt said officers were called at 11 p.m. to the 2900 block of the highway, between Cardinal Drive and Hinkle Place, where a woman was found in a northbound lane and transported to a trauma center at Mission Hospital Mission Viejo.

“We believe there was a domestic dispute going on — both were intoxicated,” Schmidt said Wednesday. “The female tried to walk away from the male and was struck in the No. 1 northbound lane.”

Although first responders attempted to provide medical care, the woman later succumbed to her injuries, Schmidt reported. The victim, whose identity is not being released to the public due to the ongoing investigation, was a 25-year-old resident of Riverside.

The male pedestrian, a 26-year-old from Riverside, was arrested and later booked on charges of interfering with an investigation and assaulting a firefighter.

The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene and cooperated with police before being released, Schmidt said. Police do not believe that individual had consumed any drugs or alcohol prior to the incident and were not releasing any information on the person or the vehicle involved.

Due to the death investigation and the number of local police personnel involved, the Newport Beach Police Department assisted with calls for service in the immediate aftermath of the collision, Schmidt said Wednesday.