Four women who were walking along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu died when a speeding driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed Tuesday night, authorities said.
The crash happened around 8:30 p.m. in the 21500 block of the PCH, near La Costa Beach and east of the Malibu Pier.
Investigators said a black BMW was traveling westbound on the highway when the driver sideswiped several parked vehicles and then crashed. A total of four vehicles were involved in the incident.
Four young women who were walking in the area were struck and died at the scene, authorities said. Two others were taken to a nearby hospital. The severity of their injuries was not released.
“We’ve had a horrible car accident and it’s closed down all of PCH,” a Los Angeles fire captain told KTLA. “Unfortunately, we have four DOA’s, we have four victims that did not survive. The sheriff is out here and they’re going to have a massive investigation to find out what caused this. It’s a tough scene right now.”
The circumstances of the crash are still under investigation, but officials told KTLA’s Omar Lewis that speed was likely a factor.
The driver of the BMW, described as a 22-year-old man, was taken into custody, police said Wednesday morning.
He was expected to be booked on vehicular manslaughter charges.
CHP issued a SigAlert for PCH in both directions between Las Flores Canyon Road and Carbon Canyon Road while investigators with the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department gathered evidence and crews worked to clear the scene.