An alleged 25-year-old DUI driver was arrested on multiple charges after a bicyclist was fatally injured in a traffic collision early Saturday in Pomona, police said.
A BMW was traveling northbound on Garey Avenue near Philadelphia Street at about 2:30 a.m. when it struck a bicyclist that was in the right shoulder from behind, causing the man to be ejected from his bike, a news release from the Pomona Police Department stated.
The victim, who was in his 40s or 50s, was treated at the scene by paramedics from the Los Angeles County Fire Department before being taken to a local hospital. He later died of his injuries, according to police.
The cyclist’s identity has not been released yet.
Evidence collected at the scene led officers to suspect that the driver of the BMW, identified as Chino Hills resident Rick Kyujin Lee, was allegedly under the influence at the time of the crash.
The driver “looked more in shock than drunk,” said witness Efren Navarro. “But I guess his parents got here and … told one of the the officers that he was drunk. So I guess the mom confessed it to the officer.”
He was arrested on suspicion of DUI causing death and vehicular manslaughter, according to the release.
Lee was booked into the Pomona police station and was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail, L.A. County inmate records showed. His first court appearance was scheduled for Tuesday.
The cause of the collision was under investigation, and anyone with information about it was asked to call Pomona police at 909-620-2081.
