Bicycle Rider Dies in Traffic Collision on Pacific Coast Highway Sunday Night

A traffic collision on PCH near Entrada killed a man on a bicycle Sunday, Santa Monica police reported. The unidentified man died at the scene. The driver initially fled, then returned.

It was night time and dark when the unidentified driver hit the cyclist from behind. He was alive when police arrived, but died soon afterwards.

"At this point, we will not be releasing the name of the deceased or the driver of the vehicle. The deceased bicyclist is an Asian Male in his mid-20s. The driver is male white in his mid 60s," writes Public Information Officer Saul Rodriguez.

The official SMPD press release is as follows:

On October 15, 2017 at about 7:03 p.m., the Santa Monica Police Department (SMPD) responded to a radio call for service regarding a traffic collision involving a bicyclist at the 200 block of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Upon arrival, officers discovered the bicyclist on the roadway suffering from significant trauma.

Unfortunately, the bicyclist succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The involved vehicle initially fled the area; however, the driver later returned to the scene. The driver of the vehicle was not injured.

SMPD's Major Accident Response Team responded to the collision to conduct an investigation. A preliminary investigation revealed the bicyclist was riding his bicycle northbound along PCH. The involved vehicle was travelling northbound along PCH and struck the bicyclist from the rear.

The driver of the vehicle is cooperating with the investigation and there have been no preliminary indications the driver was impaired. SMPD Traffic Investigators will be conducting a thorough investigation into the collision and the circumstances surrounding the driver fleeing the scene.

The investigation is ongoing and investigators are interested in speaking with anyone who was in the area at the time of the collision. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Investigator Pace or Olson at (310) 458-8954;