Irvine : Two Suspects Arrested in Hit-Run Bike Death

Police have arrested two drivers in connection with the hit-and-run death of a teen-age bicyclist, authorities said Wednesday.

John Eckenrod, 15, of Tustin was struck by a car at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday as he crossed Harvard Avenue on his bicycle near Valencia Drive, Sgt. Jim Lowder said. That car knocked him down, and a second car dragged him 100 feet. Both drivers fled the scene, Lowder said.

Eckenrod was taken to Western Medical Center in Santa Ana where he died at 9:32 p.m.

A friend bicycling with Eckenrod described the cars to police, and about 15 minutes later officers stopped two cars at Harvard Avenue and Irvine Center Drive that matched the descriptions.

“It looks like they got scared and left the scene, then had some remorse and came back,” said Irvine Police Lt. Mike White.

Brian K. Hall, 18, and Michael M. McGuire, 19, both of Irvine, were arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run driving Tuesday night and booked into Orange County Jail, Lowder said, adding that Hall is suspected of being the first driver to strike Eckenrod.

White said Hall and McGuire were “acquaintances” and were following each other when the accident occurred.