Man arrested, charged with murder for crash that pushed car into wetlands

Huntington Beach police have arrested a 24-year-old Long Beach man on suspicion of murder, stemming from a fatal crash in April. Detectives from the Huntington Beach Police Department's Special Investigation Bureau and Major Accident Investigation Team located Lukas McHargue in Oceanside Wednesday and took him into custody, HBPD spokeswoman Jessica Cuchilla said. He is being held in the Orange County Jail without bail. McHargue has been charged with one count of murder by the Orange County District Atty.'s office related to an April crash that claimed the life of 53-year-old Heather Lewis of Long Beach. Officials allege that McHargue was driving a white BMW 328i the night of April 15, when he rear-ended Lewis' silver Kia Soul on Pacific Coast Highway, south of Warner Avenue. The impact sent Lewis' vehicle off the roadway and into the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, where it overturned and became submerged, trapping her inside. Lewis was extracted from the vehicle but died of her injuries at the hospital. Investigators determined McHargue had been driving more than 100 mph shortly before the crash, Cuchilla said, more than twice the posted speed limit. They also found his blood-alcohol level was at more than double the legal limit and that he had also consumed marijuana, according to Cuchilla. The investigation further determined McHargue had been repeatedly warned that impaired driving could kill someone and had acknowledged that risk. Under those circumstances, a fatal DUI can be charged as second-degree murder in California. "Driving in excess of 100 miles per hour, at more than double the posted speed limit and with an alcohol level more than double the legal limit is not an accident," Huntington Beach Police Chief Eric Parra said in a statement. "This was a series of reckless choices that ended an innocent woman's life." The investigation into the crash remains ongoing. Anyone who may have witnessed the collision, or events leading up to it, is encouraged to contact HBPD Traffic Investigator Vishal Rattanchandani at (714) 536-5231.