Alleged hit-and-run driver involved in Orange County crash killed in separate collision

An alleged hit-and-run driver was killed in a separate crash in Orange County on Wednesday, police said. 

Laguna Beach Police Department officers said in a news release that they were called to a crash involving a pedestrian on El Toro Road, just south of the 73 Toll Road overpass in Laguna Beach, at around 7 p.m.

Upon arrival, they found a 46-year-old female suffering from injuries sustained in the collision. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was later pronounced dead, police said. She has not yet been identified.

While investigating the crash, LBPD officers learned that the pedestrian was previously involved in a hit-and-run that happened while she was driving a U-Haul truck in Rancho Mission Viejo. 

"The other involved party in the collision followed the U-Haul until the female driver until the female driver parked the U-Haul perpendicular to the roadway, blocking the outbound lane of El Toro Road," LBPD officers said. 

The woman got out of the truck and began walking in the road, where she was struck by another car, police said. At the same time, bystanders were trying to move the U-Haul from blocking the street. 

Police said that the driver of the car that struck the woman remained at the scene to cooperate with their investigation. They do not believe that alcohol or drugs played a factor in the incident. 

Anyone with more information was asked to contact detectives at (949) 497-0701.