Seal Beach Police this week arrested a Lake Forest man on suspicion of being the driver of the vehicle that caused the hit and run collision and injured five people on Feb. 11. The individual, described as a person of interest in the case, surrendered himself to the SBPD on Sunday, Feb. 19.
According to Lt. Julia Clasby, the SBPD’s public information officer, the two victims who remain hospitalized have been downgraded from ICU.
Asked when the case would be submitted to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, Clasby wrote: “There are several factors that will determine when the case is filed with the DA’s office. It will be several months at least.”
Police have not released a photo of the suspect. “Our policy has been to only release photos if we are looking for additional victims, which we are not,” Clasby wrote.
As of noon, Wednesday, Feb. 22, a gofundme campaign to help cover medical costs for the five passengers has raised $44,360.
Background
According to the SBPD, on Saturday, Feb. 11, approximately 7:11 p.m., two vehicles collided at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street in Seal Beach. The driver of the vehicle that caused the collision fled on foot and was not immediately located.
Investigators from the SBPD Serious Traffic Accident Response (STAR) Team responded to the scene and worked with the Orange County Sheriff’s Crime Lab to process physical evidence from the suspect vehicle. In the days following the collision, officers from the Seal Beach Police Department, with the assistance of West County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers, canvassed the neighborhood to gather surveillance footage and additional witness statements.
The subsequent investigation by the SBPD Detective Bureau led to the identification of a person of interest, Jahson Imgrund, 23, of Lake Forest.
On Sunday, Feb. 19, Imgrund surrendered himself to the Seal Beach Police Department. He was taken into custody and booked on suspicion of violating California Vehicle Code 20001(b)(2) – Felony Hit and Run with Serious Bodily Injury.
“I commend the STAR team, the traffic unit and the detective bureau for their diligence in this investigation and persistence in pursuing this suspect to keep the community safe,” said Seal Beach Chief of Police Michael Henderson.
“We want to thank the community for their support and assistance during this investigation,” Henderson said.
The assistance of volunteers canvassing the neighborhood, residents searching for additional video evidence, and the ongoing concern for the victims and their families illustrates how tight knit the Seal Beach community is,” Henderson said.
This is an ongoing investigation.
Police are asking anyone with information about the case to contact Traffic Investigator Officer James Dowdell at (562) 799-4100 ext. 1627 or jdowdell@sealbeachca.gov.
