Suspected DUI driver arrested after man struck, killed in Valley Center

A suspected drunken driver was arrested after a man who had gotten out of his disabled vehicle was struck and killed over the weekend in Valley Center, the California Highway Patrol said.

The collision happened about 2 a.m. Sunday on Valley Center Road south of Ridge Ranch Road, CHP Officer Hunter Gerber said in a news release.

A 35-year-old man was driving a Toyota Highlander north on Valley Center Road when his SUV became disabled and he pulled it safely onto the right shoulder, Gerber said.

Soon, a man who had been headed north on a Harley Davidson motorcycle spotted the disabled Highlander and pulled over to help.

As he did, the driver of a Dodge Ram, also headed north, veered onto the right shoulder and plowed into the Highlander, its driver and the motorcycle. The driver of the Highlander died at the scene.

“Evidence indicates alcohol was a contributing factor in this collision,” Gerber said.

The pickup driver, identified as Daniel Sanchez Ramos, was arrested and faces several charges, including felony vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08% or above, and driving without a license. The 26-year-old, who faces up to six years in prison if convicted, remained jailed Thursday in lieu of $750,000 bail.