Local News in Brief : Palmdale Driver Faces Charge in Biker’s Death
A manslaughter charge is being sought against a Palmdale man who struck and killed a bicyclist Thursday night in Sun Valley, police said.
A breath test showed that the driver, Martin F. Levalle, 30, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.23%, more than twice the legal limit of 0.10%, Los Angeles Police Detective Don Bellante said.
The bicyclist was identified by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office Friday as Steven Pinal, 26, of Glendale.
A witness saw Levalle drive his pickup truck across a dirt field to avoid a line of cars, Sgt. Mel Cunningham said. Levalle then got back on La Tuna Canyon Road and swerved onto the dirt shoulder several times before striking the bicyclist just east of the Foothill Freeway at 7:35 p.m., he said.
Levalle told investigators he had spent most of the day moving from Tujunga to Palmdale, Bellante said. Levalle said he drank five to seven beers between noon and the time of the accident, which occurred as he was making his last trip of the day to Palmdale, the detective said.
Levalle was released Thursday night on $2,500 bond and is scheduled for arraignment July 17 in Van Nuys Municipal Court, the detective said.
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