An allegedly impaired driver was arrested Sunday night after fatally striking a 12-year-old bicyclist crossing a Costa Mesa intersection, police said.
Around 5:55 p.m., authorities responded to the area of Junipero Drive and Arlington Drive for a traffic collision involving a minor and a driver in a rented pickup truck, the Costa Mesa Police Department said in a news release.
The victim, later identified as 12-year-old Noel Bascon, was riding his bicycle with his father, who was on his own bike when they entered the crosswalk.
The driver of the pick-up truck, identified as 59-year-old Richard Lavalle of Long Beach, was traveling east on Arlington Drive when he failed to halt at the stop sign and struck the boy, who landed several feet away, according to police.
When police arrived, a passerby was administering CPR to the victim. Officers and medics continued life-saving efforts before the 12-year-old was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the department said.
The driver of the pickup truck and his passenger remained at the scene.
Lavalle was arrested and booked on suspicion of murder, driving under the influence and a parole violation, according to police.
The passenger, identified as 56-year-old Lee Anna Diaz Murphy of Artesia, was arrested and booked on suspicion of possession of controlled substances and possession of unlawful paraphernalia, officials said.
Anyone with additional information about the fatal traffic collision is asked to contact the department’s traffic investigator, Kha Bao, at 714-754-5264.
