Crime & Safety
Road Worker Killed on 10 Freeway by Suspected Drunk Driver
He was fatally struck by a sport utility vehicle driven by a suspected drunken driver on a closed section of the San Bernardino (10) Freeway in Baldwin Park
BALDWIN PARK (CNS) - A road worker was fatally struck by a sport utility vehicle driven by a suspected drunken driver on a closed section of the San Bernardino (10) Freeway in Baldwin Park, the l reported today.
The Caltrans subcontractor, 21-year-old Connor Penhall of Corona, was operating a concrete saw on the westbound side of the freeway at Francisquito Avenue when he was killed around 11:45 p.m. Wednesday, the CHP reported.
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Penhall, who is the son of racer-turned-actor Bruce Penhall, who portrayed Officer Bruce Nelson in the final season of the CHiPs television series, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Tatsuhiko Sakamoto, 37, of Arcadia, was booked for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, felony DUI, and driving without a license, said CHP Officer Kerri Rivas. Sakamoto did not have a California driver's license, Rivas said.
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He had a Hawaii driver's license with a Honolulu address, Edmund Zorrilla, an officer with CHP added.
The westbound freeway was closed for scheduled construction work about 11 p.m. Wednesday, the CHP reported. Sakamoto drove his Toyota Rav4 into a coned-off area, Zorrilla said.
"Everything was closed off with signs and cones, and he still came through that,'' Zorrilla said.
Officers administered a Breathalyzer test and arrested Sakamoto, Zorrilla said.
The westbound lanes were closed while an investigation was conducted, and all lanes were reopened about 6:20 a.m., the CHP reported.