Fullerton DUI suspect charged for over 100 mph red light crash that killed a motorcyclist

SANTA ANA, Calif. – A 44-year-old man has been charged with vehicular manslaughter for hitting and killing a motorcyclist while running a red light at more than 100 miles per hour with a blood alcohol level of nearly three times the legal limit, according to the OCDA.

Francisco Garcia-Vargas, 44, of Fullerton, has been charged with one felony count of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, one felony count of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury and one felony count of driving with a blood alcohol content of .08% or higher.

Garcia-Vargas faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison if convicted on all counts.

At about 9:45 p.m. on June 12, 2024, Alexander Marce, 28, was stopped on his Harley Davidson motorcycle at a red light at the intersection of Orangethorpe Avenue and Gilbert Street in Fullerton when Garcia-Vargas hit him from behind at more than 100 miles per hour.

After knocking Marce off his motorcycle, Garcia-Vargas drove a few hundred yards with Marce’s motorcycle stuck underneath his BMW before finally coming to a stop. Marce died at the scene. People who witnessed the collision pulled Garcia-Vargas from his vehicle and held him until police arrived.
Garcia-Vargas is scheduled to be arraigned today in CJ1.

Deputy District Attorney Devin Campbell of the Homicide Unit is prosecuting this case.