Stewart Waithanji, 27, Kills Elderly Man in Costa Mesa DUI Hit-and-Run Crash
COSTA MESA, CA (April 13, 2021) – Authorities detained Stewart Waithanji after a fatal DUI hit-and-run crash in Costa Mesa.
Police determined that the 27-year-old man was under the influence of alcohol when the wreck occurred on Saturday afternoon.
The incident began when Stewart Waithanji was driving a Chevrolet Malibu on Newport Boulevard, south of 17th Street, in Costa Mesa.
Police said the Chevrolet slammed into a car driven by 74-year-old Richard Frost. The Newport Beach elderly man then exited his vehicle and attempted to stop Stewart Waithanji from leaving.
Richard Frost, 74, Victim in Collision on Newport Boulevard
In the process, Waithanji ran over Frost and fled the area. The Orange County Register wrote that officers reported the collision on April 10 at about 4 p.m.
Firefighters along with the paramedics rushed Frost to an area hospital, where he died. Meanwhile, police later located and arrested Waithanji at a bar in Los Alamitos.
They charged him with single felony counts each of second-degree murder, DUI, and driving with a blood alcohol level of .08% or more. His charges also included two misdemeanor counts of hit-and-run with property damage.
Authorities found out that he was wanted on warrants related to two other DUI cases in September and October 2019. He ended up convicted in May and August of 2016 and in February 2018 in Iowa of DUI.
The suspect became involved in a hit-and-run crash in Newport Beach prior to the tragic Costa Mesa crash. The collision is still under investigation.
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