Man Faces DUI Murder Charge After Striking And Killing A Man On A Scooter

A DUI murder charge, known as “Watson” murder, is a second-degree murder charge under California penal code 187. Generally, a Watson murder charge requires a prior DUI in order for the prosecutor to be able to prove the charge. However, if the prosecutor believes that they can prove that the suspect acted with implied malice or malice aforethought, they may charge a DUI as murder. Generally, the charge is either vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated or gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

KTLA reports on a suspected DUI driver facing murder charges in an accident that killed a scooter rider in Hollywood.

The accident happened in a Hollywood crosswalk at about 2:55 a.m. at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street.

26-year-old Jared Walter Anderson of Utah was driving a 2011 Dodge Ram southbound on Vine Street and made a left turn to head eastbound on Hollywood Boulevard. As he made the left turn, he struck a scooter rider, who had been in the crosswalk.

The man has been identified only as a male in his 30s. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

An LAPD sergeant was in the area and detained Anderson. He was arrested after authorities determined that he was intoxicated.

Anderson has a prior DUI conviction out of Utah from 2014. This makes him eligible to be charged with murder under California law.

Anderson’s bond was set at $2,000,000.

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