Man arrested in fatal hit-and-run of pedestrian near Mugu Rock
The California Highway Patrol arrested a 46-year-old Los Angeles man after a fatal hit-and-run crash involving a pedestrian near Mugu Rock on Wednesday night.
Authorities were notified of the incident around 10:10 p.m. along Pacific Coast Highway, just north of Mugu Rock.
The Los Angeles man, who was driving a 2021 Mazda SUV, reportedly hit two people who were standing next to their parked vehicle, a 2022 Hyundai. The victims were several feet off the roadway on the dirt shoulder, authorities said.
Responding CHP officers found a woman lying down unresponsive on the shoulder of the northbound side of the highway. She was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.
She was identified Friday as Alena Pascuali, 22, of Riverside, according to the Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office.
The second victim, a 30-year-old man from the city of San Gabriel in Los Angeles County, was transported to Ventura County Medical Center with major injuries, according to the CHP. No update on his condition was available Friday.
The incident closed northbound PCH for about 5 hours.
The driver of the Mazda fled the scene and was pulled over a few miles away, near Rice Avenue and Wooley Road, where he was arrested, according to the CHP. He was later booked into county jail.
On Friday, the driver, Keith McDowell-Satyananda, was charged by the Ventura County District Attorney's Office with gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, fleeing the scene of a fatal accident, felony DUI and multiple special allegations, according to prosecutors.
McDowell-Satyananda pleaded not guilty to all charges and denied all special allegations during an arraignment in Ventura County Superior Court Friday afternoon. His bail was set at $100,000 during the hearing.
The next court date was set for the afternoon of Feb. 8 in room 12.
Anyone who witnessed the accident is encouraged to contact the Ventura-area CHP office at 805-662-2640.
This story may be updated.
Jeremy Childs is a general assignment reporter covering courts, crime and breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at 805-437-0208, jeremy.childs@vcstar.com, and on Twitter @Jeremy_Childs.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Man arrested in fatal hit-and-run of pedestrian near Mugu Rock
