By Rebecca Cohen—
NBC News
A man convicted five times of driving under the influence faces murder charges for allegedly hitting a pedestrian while driving drunk and fleeing the scene, the Orange County district attorney in California announced Thursday.
Jonathan López
, 31 years old and resident of that county, faces charges of a felony of homicide, hit and run with permanent injuries or death, evading and reckless driving, driving under the influence of alcohol with three or more convictions and driving with a rate of alcohol level equal to or greater than 0.08%.
Lopez could also be charged with driving with a suspended license, which is a misdemeanor.
He faces a maximum sentence of 18 years to life in prison if he is convicted of all charges.
The victim has not been identified.
Jonathan Lopez's car at the scene of the fatal crash (left) and his arrest (right).Orange Police Department
“An innocent man has died because someone without a license who was prohibited from driving due to his long history of DUI (driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs) decided to ignore warnings that
drinking and driving can be deadly
,” he said in a statement. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement.
Lopez was driving Tuesday in Orange County around 11:15 a.m. when he hit a man crossing the street, according to the prosecutor's office.
[Agent kills a 15-year-old minor in California for attacking him with a gardening implement]
Additionally, authorities indicated that López was “seen drinking alcohol and detracting from the officers' work” after the hit-and-run scene, the prosecutor's office added.
The statement stated that the defendant caused a “short high-speed chase” by the officers who stopped him, in which he ignored a red light and three stop signs, before the police could catch up with him and arrest him.
Lopez's five DUI convictions date back to 2011, according to the prosecutor's office.
He served 16 months in county jail after pleading guilty in December 2021 to one count of felony driving under the influence, one count of felony driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or higher and one misdemeanor charge of driving with a suspended license.
“It is clear that this individual
has no respect for human life
or the rule of law,” Spitzer stated.
“Not even jail time could stop him that day [Tuesday] from putting his own selfish actions above the lives of others.”