Four Pepperdine University students were killed by an out-of-control BMW driver as they walked along the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on Tuesday night, according to police.
The four women, who were all seniors, were fatally struck when a 22-year-old driver, identified by police as Fraser Michael Bohm, lost control of his BMW around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night on a notoriously treacherous stretch of the iconic highway.
The students were identified by school officials as Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams on Wednesday.
“To the students who loved, lived with, and were in community with the departed members of our Pepperdine family, my heart is broken with yours. I join you in your grief as we process this profound loss,” Pepperdine President Jim Gash told the school community in a statement.
Bohm was speeding as he drove westbound on the highway in his dark-colored vehicle when he lost control, smashed into several parked vehicles and then crashed into a group of young women walking in the area, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department told reporters at a news conference on Wednesday, KTLA reported.
Witnesses reported that Bohm got out of the vehicle unharmed and was tackled to the ground by several people.
Rolston, Steward, Weird and Williams were declared dead at the scene. Two others were taken to local hospitals in unknown conditions, cops said.
Bohm was arrested on charges of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. A DUI investigation is still pending, LASD said.
However, he was later released from custody due to lack of evidence, Fox 11 reported.
The crash occurred roughly four miles north of Pepperdine’s picturesque coastal campus.
A prayer service has been scheduled for members of the Pepperdine community for Thursday at 10 a.m., the university said. Additional plans are in the works to hold a memorial service for each student.
“In the days ahead, we will come together in meaningful ways to honor and celebrate the lives of the remarkable individuals lost to this unthinkable tragedy,” Gash said