A man suspected of running down and killing two 61-year-old pedestrians in Santa Monica in October was behind bars Wednesday following his arrest in Chicago, authorities said.
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Alex Kristopher Earl Kirksey, 38, was arrested last week in connection with the Oct. 24 crash that killed Maura Cohen and Brad Lipshy, who was the CEO of a Santa Monica event planning firm.
The crash occurred 9:15 p.m. in the 1300 block of Wilshire Boulevard, where a driver veered onto a sidewalk and into a group of pedestrians.
Two other people were seriously injured and taken to a hospital, police said.
The driver abandoned the vehicle and fled on foot prior to officers' arrival.
According to Santa Monica police, investigators tracked Kirksey to Chicago, where he was arrested with the assistance of the Chicago Police Department at or near a transit center "as he appeared to be attempting to flee further."
Kirksey was later returned to Santa Monica, and he was being held at the Santa Monica city jail in lieu of $1 million bail, an official said.
According to court records, Kirksey was charged late last week with two counts of vehicular manslaughter, two counts of felony hit-and-run resulting in injury or death and one count of reckless driving.
Police said the car Kirksey was driving had been rented, and the person who rented him the vehicle "traveled to the scene after the collision, sought information about what occurred, and later assisted the suspect in leaving the state." An investigation was continuing into the actions of that person, who was not identified, to determine if criminal charges were warranted.
"This arrest reflects the persistence and professionalism of our investigators, who worked tirelessly to identify and locate those responsible for this senseless act," Interim SMPD Chief Darrick Jacob said. "While nothing can undo the pain this tragedy caused, this marks an important step toward justice for the victims and their families."
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