Memorial appears on PCH in Huntington Beach, as hit-and-run driver charged
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A painted white bicycle adorned with flowers and personal notes has appeared along a stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach, marking the spot where a deadly hit-and-run collision Monday killed a father of four.
The “ghost bike” memorializes Garden Grove resident and pastor Eric John Williams, 45, who was riding with friends shortly before 7 a.m., when the trio was struck by a driver police identified as 43-year-old Amber Kristine Calderon, of Long Beach.
As friends and loved ones pay tribute to Williams, a former city commissioner, details on Calderon’s alleged actions that morning are being brought to light by Orange County District Attorney’s Office prosecutors, who’ve charged her with three felony counts related to a hit-and-run causing injury or death.
Prosecutors allege around 6:47 a.m., Calderon drove her vehicle, a 2006 gold Mercedes-Benz E-Class, onto the shoulder where the cyclists were riding, striking all three men before driving through a parking lot kiosk, despite her car’s having a flat tire, missing side mirror and damage to its hood, windshield and front bumper.
A motorist who witnessed the crash pursued Calderon and blocked her vehicle while a parking attendant radioed State Parks police, according to an OCDA release Wednesday.
Huntington Beach police booked the Long Beach resident on suspicion of driving under the influence, gross vehicular manslaughter and possessing a hard drug with a prior conviction. Toxicology reports are still pending, prosecutors reported.
In the days after a deadly hit-and-run on Pacific Coast Highway, locals are memorializing Eric John Williams, a 45-year-old Garden Grove church pastor and father of four, with a vigil and GoFundMe campaign.
Williams died at the scene, while the other two men sustained critical injuries, including spinal fractures, broken ribs and a broken ankle. District Attorney Todd Spitzer expressed sorrow that an early morning bike ride with friends turned into a tragedy.
“We are working closely with our law enforcement partners to ensure justice is carried out to the fullest extent of the law for Mr. Williams and his loved ones and for the two other bicyclists who survived such a horrific ordeal on what should have been a peaceful ride along the beach,” Spitzer said in Wednesday’s release.
Speaking Thursday on behalf of family members of Williams — who with wife Robyn founded the Community Church of West Garden Grove in 2011 — brother-in-law Josh Coy said loved ones are heartbroken by the sudden loss.
“We’re deeply grateful for the incredible outpouring of love, prayers and generosity from our community and beyond,” Coy wrote in an email. “It’s been a true reflection of the way Eric lived his life and loved others.
“As we grieve, we ask for continued prayers and privacy while we focus on caring for Robyn and the kids and celebrating Eric’s remarkable life and faith.”
At the PCH memorial Wednesday, cyclists stopped for a closer look. Matt Bowen, who rides the same stretch of highway to Laguna Beach and back three times a week, said the local community is shocked by what happened.
“It’s absolutely horrible,” said Bowen, who has a friend close to the Williams family. “You see the messages here; it’s just unbelievable. I wish people would just be a little more careful.”
Eric Licas contributed to this report.
