5-time California DUI driver charged with murder following hit-and-run, prosecutors say

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A California man who has five prior DUI convictions is now facing a murder charge after allegedly hitting and killing a pedestrian this week while driving under the influence of alcohol. 

Jonathan Lopez, 31, was seen “drinking alcohol and flipping officers off” after leading law enforcement on a short pursuit Tuesday following the fatal incident in Orange, California, in the Los Angeles area, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. 

“An innocent man is dead because someone without a license who has been prohibited from driving because of his extensive DUI history decided to ignore every warning he was ever given that drinking and driving can be deadly and get behind the wheel while intoxicated,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a statement. “It is clear this individual has absolutely no regard for human life and no respect for the rule of law.” 

“Not even jail time could prevent him from putting his own selfish actions over the lives of everyone else on the road that day,” Spitzer added. 

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The car involved in the hit-and-run in Orange, California, on Tuesday had “major front-end damage,” police say. (Orange Police Department)

The district attorney’s office said Lopez, from Orange, has five prior DUI convictions dating back to 2011. 

He has now been charged with felony counts of murder, hit-and-run with permanent injury or death, evading while driving recklessly, DUI with three or more priors and driving with a blood alcohol level of .08% or higher, as well as a misdemeanor count of driving on a suspended license, the office added. 

The victim in Tuesday’s incident has not yet been publicly identified, but Lopez faces a maximum sentence of 18 years to life if convicted on all charges, prosecutors say. 

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Jonathan Lopez has five prior DUI convictions, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office says. (Orange Police Department)

The Orange Police Department said the victim, an adult male, was found midday Tuesday with “traumatic injuries lying in the roadway.” 

“Witnesses reported the pedestrian was crossing the street outside of a crosswalk when he was struck by a northbound gray sedan,” according to police. “The sedan then fled the scene.” 

The vehicle Lopez allegedly was driving, described by police as having “major front-end damage,” was located by detectives 10 minutes later.  

The Orange Police Department, citing witnesses, reported that the victim was trying to cross the street outside a crosswalk when he was fatally struck.

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“He then led police on a short high-speed pursuit, running a red light and three stop signs before being arrested,” the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said. 

Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.