SANTA ANA, Calif. - A 21-year-old Huntington Beach man has been charged with felony vehicular manslaughter nearly a year after a tragic "car surfing" accident resulted in the death of his friend, 20-year-old rising surf star Kolby Kekoa Aipa.
Prosecutors allege Brandon Scott Soleau permitted Aipa to hold onto a pickup truck while riding an e-bike at speeds exceeding 50 mph, leading to a fatal crash.
What we know:
The incident happened on Aug. 2, 2025, around 10:30 p.m. after Brandon Scott Soleau picked up eight passengers in his 2015 Toyota Tacoma following a movie premiere in Huntington Beach, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Kolby Kekoa Aipa, who was riding an e-bike alongside the truck, asked Soleau if he could grab onto the vehicle and "car surf."
Soleau allegedly agreed, allowing Aipa to reach his arm through the open front passenger window to hold onto the truck, officials said.
Soleau then merged onto southbound Pacific Coast Highway at about 50 mph while a passenger recorded video of Aipa being pulled alongside the vehicle.
After traveling more than a mile near Seapoint Street, Aipa lost control and fell. He was not wearing a helmet.
Aipa was transported to UCI Medical Center in critical condition and died three days later from blunt head trauma.
Aipa was a rising surf star with a deep surfing lineage. He was the grandson of legendary Hawaiian surfboard maker Ben Aipa, the founder of AIPA surfboards who famously crafted the board Fred Hemmings rode to victory in the 1968 World Surfing Championship.
What we don't know:
It's unknown if any of the eight passengers inside the vehicle will face charges for their alleged involvement or for filming the incident.
What they're saying:
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer released a statement emphasizing the tragic nature of the preventable event.
"This tragedy cost the life of a young man with his entire future ahead of him and will forever impact a young man who will have to live the rest of his life knowing that he killed his friend," Spitzer said. "This is a stark reminder that every action and every decision have a consequence, and in this instance the price of those decisions was the life of a 20-year-old man and that is a price no one should ever have to pay."
Prosecutors also reinforced that California law explicitly prohibits any "person riding a motorcycle, motorized bicycle, bicycle, coaster, roller skates, sled or toy vehicle" from attaching themselves to a vehicle on a roadway.
Following his passing, Aipa's family company memorialized him online, noting his profound impact on the surfing community.
"Kolby always had a way with touching the lives of whoever he met. His acts of kindness and caring was his gift of Aloha to friends and strangers alike," the company wrote in an Instagram post. "To everyone that reads this… pass his Aloha on. So, how Kolby treated you, treat others in that same way…In this you are continuing his legacy of Aloha."
What's next:
Soleau will be officially arraigned on July 23. Soleau faces a maximum penalty of six years in California state prison if convicted.
The Source: This report is based on information provided by the Orange County District Attorney's Office.