THE KIA SOUL in the Bolsa Chica wetlands (HBFD photo).

The man suspected of being the drunken driver in a tragic fatal crash in Huntington Beach has been arrested and faces murder charges.

According to Jessica Cuchilla, public information officer for the HBPD, arrested in Oceanside on Wednesday was Lukas McHargue, 24, of Long Beach. He is accused of driving his BMW 328i at speeds over 100 miles an hour on April 15, 2026 at around 10:40 p.m. on Pacific Coast Highway south of Warner Avenue and striking a Kia Soul driven by Heather Lewis, 53, of Long Beach.

Her car overturned and went off the roadway and then sunk into the Bolsa Chica Wetlands, where it submerged. Lewis was extracted from her automobile but died from her injuries at a hospital soon after.

It was determined by investigators that McHargue had been driving more than twice the speed limit and he had drunk alcohol and used marijuana before the crash.

The Orange County District Attorney has filed a murder charge (187a) which carries a potential penalty of 25 years to life in state prison. McHargue is being held in Orange County Jail without bail.

“Driving in excess of 100 miles per hour, at more than double the posted speed limit and with an alcohol level more than double the legal limit is not an accident,” said Police Chief Eric Parra. “This was a series of reckless choices that ended an innocent woman’s life.”