Gustavo Lopez, 22, died as a result of the incident, according to Sgt. Tim Hobbs of the Clearlake Police Department.
Several hours later, police arrested 34-year-old Angelo Ray Short of Clearlake, who is alleged to have hit Lopez with his car before fleeing the scene, according to Hobbs.
He said that at approximately 2:40 a.m. Clearlake Police officers were dispatched to the area of Old Highway 53 and Park Street for a reported traffic collision.
Within minutes of being dispatched, three Clearlake Police officers arrived on scene and located Lopez lying on the lawn at the entrance to the Clearlake Resort, Hobbs said.
Hobbs said Lopez had sustained life threatening injuries as a result of a vehicle striking him as he was riding his bicycle on the shoulder of Old Highway 53. The vehicle that struck Lopez fled the scene and did not make any attempt to check on Lopez’s condition.
Officers requested that medical personnel from the Lake County Fire Department respond to the scene. A short time later medical personnel arrived, and began performing life saving measures on Lopez, who Hobbs said was transported to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake, where he was pronounced dead.
Clearlake Police Department detectives and fatal traffic collision investigators responded to the scene and relieved the patrol officers so they would be able to resume their patrol duties, Hobbs said.
Through interviews with witnesses and evidence at the scene, Hobbs said it is believed Lopez and Charles Farlow, 21, of Clearlake were riding their bicycles south on the paved shoulder of Old Highway 53.
As Lopez and Farlow were approaching the entrance to the Clearlake Resort, Lopez was struck by a car that was also traveling south on Old Highway 53. Hobbs said the driver of the vehicle did not stop and fled the scene.
He said the vehicle was determined to be a 1993 to 1997 red-colored Geo Prism, which had sustained damage to the front end.
Around 7:45 a.m. Saturday, Clearlake Police detectives located the involved vehicle, a red 1994 Geo Prism, parked at a residence at the B&B Lighthouse Resort. Hobbs said the vehicle was towed as evidence and stored at the Clearlake Police Department pending the issuance of a search warrant on the vehicle.
Hobbs said Short was contacted at the residence and interviewed by detectives regarding his involvement in the collision. While being interviewed, Short allegedly admitted to being the driver of the vehicle and fleeing the scene after the collision.
Short was arrested for felony hit and run with death and vehicular manslaughter and later booked into the Lake County Jail. His booking sheet indicated that his bail was set at $25,000, and he remained in custody early Sunday morning.
The news of Lopez's death, announced on Lake County News' Facebook page Saturday afternoon, resulted in numerous expressions of sadness, disbelief and condolences to the young man's family.
Readers who contacted Lake County News about Lopez, whose family owns Havy's restaurant, recalled him as a warm, funloving young man who cared about others.
“He was a great young man with a lot of ambition,” said Amanda Conley. “He worked hard for what he wanted and took great pride in himself and his family. From what I have seen, Gustavo never turned a blind eye to anyone that needed help. This accident provides a great loss for everyone who knows him, and my heart goes out to the family.”
Hidden Valley Lake resident Taqua Ammar recalled seeing Lopez for the last time at a local gas station after he had gotten off work for the day. They chatted, and Ammar noted that Lopez seemed happy.
“The magical thing about Gustavo though was how charismatic he was,” Ammar said. “He was the life of the whole gas station that night. After we said our goodbyes I saw him talking to the owners and random people in the store. That's how he was even when he was tired, and even if it was 10 o' clock at night.”
Ammar added, “He cared about people and he had a natural gift of making people laugh. As I walked out of the gas station I heard someone crackle over another one of Gustavo's hilarious jokes. I miss him. I will never forget the memories we had! He was a good guy with a good heart. May he rest in peace.”
The Clearlake Police Department asked that anyone with information regarding this case contact Detective Alvarado at 707-994-8251, Extension 329.
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