Tip Leads to Arrest of Man Sought in Hit-Run

The man suspected of seriously injuring two joggers in a hit-and-run incident last weekend was arrested Friday at a Dana Point strip mall, officials said.

William Todd Bradshaw, 37, a transient who had been living in his car, was taken into custody about 12:30 p.m. at a laundromat near Victoria Boulevard and Doheny Park Road, about a mile from the scene of the collision. A television viewer who recognized him from photographs that had been broadcast called police after seeing him walking by a doughnut shop.

Bradshaw had a can of beer in his pocket and was under the influence of alcohol when police arrived, authorities said. He was booked at Orange County Jail on two counts of felony hit-and-run and an unrelated charge of driving under the influence. Bail was set at $230,000.

On Friday, friends and family members of the victims were relieved by news of the arrest.

“That just makes my life that much easier,” said Craig Daniel, whose wife, Carol Daniel, 41, was struck. “I can only thank everyone that helped bring this to the forefront of the public,” he said. “That enabled someone to turn him in and help capture him.”

Police said Bradshaw plowed into Carol Daniel and Stacy Neria, 34, both of San Clemente, while they were jogging about 8 a.m. April 8 with two friends on Coast Highway and Beach Road in Dana Point. The two other women were not injured.

The impact tossed Daniel about 60 feet. Her injuries include a broken neck, pelvis and nearly severed leg. She remains in critical condition and is breathing with the aid of a ventilator, relatives said.

Neria suffered a fractured skull, two broken legs and a broken pelvis, nose and cheek, family members said.

She has been upgraded to serious condition but remains unconscious. Both women were being treated at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo.

Bradshaw’s car, an extensively damaged blue 1981 Buick Park Avenue, was found abandoned about a mile from the scene.

Inside, police said, investigators found his cellphone with a text message on it that read: “Give yourself up. Don’t make things worse.” Police would not say who sent the message.

The incident sparked a $10,000 reward offer Thursday by Dana Point Mayor Lara Anderson. The television viewer might receive the reward, police said.

Bradshaw is set for arraignment Monday at Harbor Justice Center in Laguna Niguel.

Times staff writer Mai Tran contributed to this story.