A volunteer Los Angeles County firefighter was charged Tuesday with second-degree murder for an alleged drunken driving collision that killed a man in Dana Point.
Evan Madison Owen, 43, of Littleton, Colorado, did not enter a plea at his arraignment in the jail courtroom in Santa Ana. His arraignment was rescheduled for Nov. 22 in the Harbor Justice Center in Newport Beach.
Owen is accused of killing Gary Parker, who was in his 50s, according to court records.
The crash happened near Coast Highway and Palisades Drive about 8:20 p.m. Sunday, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
Parker’s 1999 Plymouth was struck from behind by a 2019 BMW, deputies said.
The two vehicles were southbound on Coast Highway south of Palisades Drive when the collision occurred.
Owen had a blood-alcohol level of 0.21, the criminal complaint alleges. Owen was charged with second-degree murder instead of manslaughter because of his training on the dangers of impaired driving as a volunteer firefighter, deputies said.