Lyft driver killed in suspected DUI crash

HAWTHORNE (CNS) - A Lyft driver was struck and killed by a motorist in Hawthorne who was driving under the influence of alcohol and also had illegal drugs in his possession, a police lieutenant said Saturday.

Hawthorne resident Arturo Martinez Conchas, 21, driving a red 2003 Infinity coupe, broadsided a black 2015 Ford Fusion driven by a 21-year-old motorist employed by Lyft, said Hawthorne police Lt. Ti Goetz.

Police were dispatched at 2:55 a.m. Friday to the scene of the crash at 120th and Doty Avenue. Paramedics pronounced the motorist dead at the scene, Goetz said.

He was later identified as Compton resident Thor Anderson, said Lt. David Smith of the coroner's office.

Conchas was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence of alcohol and possession of illegal drugs. He was transported to a hospital for medical clearance and then booked into jail at
the Hawthorne Police Department.

He was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail at the Hawthorne City Jail, Goetz said.