A 37-year-old Santa Ana man who allegedly struck and killed a bicyclist in Fountain Valley was being held on suspicion of illegally driving under the influence of prescription drugs, police said Monday.
William Joseph Klein was booked on suspicion of felony DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter in a Saturday collision that left Vinh Tran, 36, dead, according to Sgt. Steve DeSantis of the Fountain Valley Police Department.
The crash occurred at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Brookhurst Street and Heil Avenue (map), where a Jeep driven by Klein hit Tran, who was riding his bike southbound on Brookhurst, DeSantis said in a news release.
The Jeep “collided with the rear of the bicyclist traveling in the same direction in the street, adjacent to the curb,” DeSantis said.
The collision occurred next to a Fountain Valley sports park and recreation center.
Klein stopped after the collision and remained at the scene, the police news release stated. He was taken into custody on the day of the crash and was being held on $100,000 bail, Orange County inmate records showed.
A preliminary investigation showed Klein was driving under the influence of prescription drugs, according to DeSantis.
Tran, of Westminster, was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. He died Monday due to traumatic injuries, police said.
Witnesses were urged to contact police at 714-593-4484.