Elderly Santa Rosa man hit, killed by suspected DUI driver

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KGO) -- An 88-year-old Santa Rosa man died early Saturday morning after a 20-year-old driver struck him in a suspected DUI, Santa Rosa police reported.

Police responded to the area of Court Road and Santa Rosa Avenue at 6:23 a.m. to reports of a vehicle hitting a pedestrian.

A white Chevy pickup truck hit the man in a cross walk at the intersection of the two streets and "sped off" southbound on Santa Rosa Avenue, witnesses told police.

The driver lost control of the vehicle, crossed northbound lanes of traffic, jumped a curb and struck a street sign at 2970 Santa Rosa Avenue, according to police. The man then fled the scene on foot.

The victim of the crash died at the scene, and was later identified as Jose Sanchez Lozano. He was found about 250 feet south of the crosswalk at the intersection, but police said cameras showed him walking on the crosswalk when the vehicle hit him.

Police began searching for the suspect and located him at Quail Run Apartment Complex at 1018 Bellevue Avenue. Eduardo Jaurez Espinosa, a 20-year-old from Santa Rosa, was arrested without incident, according to police.

An investigation showed that Espinosa was under the influence of alcohol when he hit the pedestrian, police said.

He was arrested for vehicular manslaughter with DUI, felony hit and run and DUI causing great bodily injury or death with BAC over 0.08 percent. He was booked in Sonoma County Jail with bail set at $350,000.

Anyone with information about the crash is asked to call Officer Jeff Woods at (707) 543-3636.