Two pedestrians killed by teen driver in Irvine, police say

A man and woman in their 60s were struck and killed Tuesday by a teenage driver as they walked in an Irvine neighborhood, police said.

According to authorities, the Honda driven by the boy veered off the residential street and struck the couple. The names of the 65-year-old man and 61-year-old woman, both Irvine residents, have not been released pending notification of relatives. Officials believe they lived near the scene of the accident.

The two were walking on the east side of Eastwood north of Bryan Avenue about 7:30 a.m. when the car jumped the curb, striking the couple and uprooting shrubs and hedges in the process, said Irvine police Lt. Julia Engen. The vehicle finally came to rest at the base of a tree and retaining wall, she said.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. The man was pronounced dead about 30 minutes later at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana.

The driver, a 17-year-old on his way to school, was not hurt, said police, and cooperated with authorities. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

A portion of the street was closed for more than nine hours as police investigated the crash and removed the wreckage.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Irvine police Sgt. Matt August at (949) 724-7023.

This story was reported by Times Staff Writer Christine Mai-Duc.