Girl, 15, hit in crosswalk by man suspected of drunk driving

By John Canalis

July 14, 2014 1:15 PM PT

A man suspected of driving while intoxicated fled the scene after he hit and injured a 15-year-old girl in a crosswalk at Fairview Road and Baker Street in Costa Mesa early Monday, police said.

Ryota Takamatsu, 22, was arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and felony drunk driving, the Costa Mesa Police Department said in a news release.

The release said Takamatsu’s SUV, a Saturn Vue, struck the teenager, who was running westbound in the south side of the crosswalk against a red light after 1:30 a.m. The SUV was traveling south on Fairview Road in the outside lane.

After the collision, police said, Takamatsu fled and at one point turned off his headlights. Witnesses cared for the victim while another driver tailed Takamatsu’s SUV.

The witnesses communicated with officers, who caught up with Takamatsu at 1250 Adams Ave. and took him into custody, the release said.

The girl was treated for a minor skull fracture and was in serious but stable condition at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana.

Takamatsu, whose city of residence was not immediately released, was being held at the Costa Mesa Jail but was to be taken for booking to Orange County Jail on $100,000 bail.

Witnesses are asked to call CMPD traffic investigator Darren Wood at (714) 754-5264.

John Canalis

John Canalis works with editorial and finance to execute the editorial budget and serves as a liaison with the business side to develop and fine-tune initiatives that generate new revenue. He coordinates with senior management, Human Resources and the L.A. Times Guild on labor-related and personnel issues. He is a member of the management bargaining team and has oversight over implementation of the collective bargaining agreement. Canalis previously served as executive editor of Times Community News. He came to The Times in 2010 from the Long Beach Press-Telegram, where he worked in multiple roles, including as business/city editor, assistant city editor, assistant editorial pages editor, columnist and county government reporter. A lifelong Southern California resident, Canalis has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Cal State Long Beach and an MBA from Pepperdine University.