Long Beach police arrest alleged drunk driver in the death of a pedestrian in a wheelchair

Long Beach police have arrested a man who was allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol when his car struck and killed a pedestrian in a wheelchair late Saturday.

Joseph Maez, 26, of Long Beach was arrested and booked on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, police said. He was being held on $100,000 bail.

Responding to a crash about 11:19 p.m., officers attempted lifesaving measurers on the pedestrian until Long Beach Fire Department personnel arrived and continued efforts to revive him. The pedestrian died at the scene. His identify was being withheld until the Los Angeles County coroner’s office notifies the next of kin.

A preliminary investigation found that the man in the wheelchair was pushing his belongings in a shopping cart in an unmarked crosswalk on Radnor Avenue when Maez’s 2016 Honda Civic, traveling westbound on Stearns Street, struck him.