Coroner IDs Victim, 23, In Fatal Crash; Driver Arrested

SANTA ANA, CA – An SUV with an allegedly impaired driver behind the wheel slammed into a pole in Santa Ana Friday, killing one passenger, critically injuring another and landing the motorist behind bars, according to police.

Ryan Anthony Morris, 26, of Santa Ana, was booked on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence causing great bodily injury, according to police.

The fatally injured victim was identified Friday afternoon as 23-year-old Shane Spear of Santa Ana.

Three men and a woman, all in their mid-20s, were in the Subaru Forester, which was westbound "at a high rate of speed" on MacArthur Boulevard, just east of Bristol Street, when it crashed about 8:30 a.m., according to Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.

"For some reason (the driver) lost control of the vehicle, it went up on the sidewalk and hit a light pole, shearing the light pole, and continued another 100-plus feet where the vehicle came to rest," he said.

Morris and a man in the SUV suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Bertagna said.

• Also see: Man Arrested, Accused Of Abduction of Child, 4, From Family Picnic At O.C. Park

--City News Service/Image via OCFA