Father, Son Face Counts in Bicyclist’s Death

The California Highway Patrol is recommending that felony charges be brought against both father and son allegedly involved in a bizarre deception about who was driving a Porsche that struck and killed a young bicycle rider in Laguna Hills earlier this month.

The CHP said Friday that it will make felony recommendations to the Orange County district attorney’s office early next week.

The case against Gary Haw, 24, of Laguna Niguel and his father, Ronald Haw, 47, of Culver City was put together after a lengthy investigation of the Sept. 8 traffic accident.

Jason Theodore Klein, 17, of Laguna Hills was killed instantly on Alicia Parkway.

According to the CHP, Gary Haw was driving his father’s Porsche about 70 m.p.h. at the time of the accident. Investigators said the son devised a scheme after the fatal accident to get his father to come from Culver City and act as if he were the driver. The CHP alleged that the scheme was hatched because the Porsche wasn’t insured for drivers under 25.

On the day after the accident, Ronald Haw told police that he had lied about being the driver, the CHP said.

The San Juan Capistrano office of the CHP is recommending four charges against Gary Haw. They are vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence; reckless driving causing injury; felony hit and run, and making a false statement to officers. The felony hit-and-run charge is recommended, the CHP said, because Gary Haw failed initially to identify himself as the driver.

The CHP said it is asking that Ronald Haw be charged with giving false information to a police officer and obstructing/delaying a peace officer in the performance of his duties.