Motorcyclist killed in Fremont crash was a Marine

Video: tues morn fremont fatal dui arrest

(03-25) 20:48 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- A drunken-driving suspect was arrested early Tuesday in Fremont after he struck and killed a U.S. Marine who had returned from Afghanistan only last month, authorities said.

Alexander Yohn, 23, of Emeryville was taken into custody in connection with the crash at Fremont Boulevard and Decoto Road that killed motorcyclist Andrew Silva, 23, of Union City.

Silva was a U.S. Marine lance corporal who had returned from Afghanistan in February.

The incident began about 1 a.m. when an employee of a Taco Bell restaurant near Fremont Boulevard and Bonde Way saw Yohn acting belligerently and appearing intoxicated while behind the wheel of a Mini Cooper in the drive-through, police said.

Yohn tried to pay for food with a health care card and then left his wallet behind, police said.

The employee called police. Yohn left in his car at a high speed, and an officer spotted him while driving in the opposite direction on Fremont Boulevard, authorities said.

Decoto Rd & Fremont Blvd, Fremont, CA Decoto Rd & Fremont Blvd, Fremont, CA Photo: Google Maps Photo: Google Maps Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Motorcyclist killed in Fremont crash was a Marine 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The officer tried to stop the suspect, but he failed to yield and collided with Silva, who died at the scene, authorities said.

Yohn crashed the Mini Cooper into a utility pole, and the car caught on fire, said Geneva Bosques, a Fremont police spokeswoman. Yohn then ran into a nearby field, where an officer took him into custody.

He was booked Tuesday evening at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and hit-and-run causing death or injury. His bail was set at $150,000. He is to appear Thursday at the Fremont Hall of Justice pending a review of the case by Alameda County prosecutors.

The intersection didn't reopen until Tuesday evening, when police finished collecting evidence at the scene.

The crash was the latest collision to end in a fatality in Fremont.

On March 3, a woman who police believe was intoxicated crashed head-on into another allegedly drunk motorist on Osgood Road near Blacow Road. Patricia Serratos, 33, was arrested on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter and child endangerment after her 4-year-old daughter, Ariana Martinez, who was riding in an unsecured car seat, died five days later.

Hours after that crash, Pramila Bhachawat, 71, of Fremont was struck and killed by a Chevrolet Corvette driver at Washington Boulevard near Olive Avenue.