Teen Driver May Face Manslaughter Charge

WESTLAKE VILLAGE — Authorities will seek to charge a 17-year-old with vehicular manslaughter after he drove his truck into a group of bicyclists, killing one, a sheriff’s detective said Monday.

Although the misdemeanor charge could bring the driver up to a year in jail and a fine if he is convicted, he most likely would face only probation, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Det. Robert Evans.

“He wasn’t drunk or driving recklessly,” Evans said. “He didn’t intend to hit those people.”

The teenage motorist told investigators he was distracted Saturday morning as he turned onto Lindero Canyon Road from Lakeview Canyon Road while driving about 35 mph in a 45 mph zone, Evans said.

The teen’s white 1998 Chevy pickup drove onto the sidewalk and hit five bicyclists, injuring four men and killing Mehran Delavari, 35, as he changed a flat bicycle tire, Evans said.

Delavari, the father of two young children, was a researcher at Amgen, a pharmaceutical company based in Thousand Oaks.

Two of the four injured cyclists remain in the hospital.

Brian Zrehigian, 40, of Sherman Oaks remained in serious but stable condition in the intensive care unit at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. He was fitted Monday for a back brace, said Kris Carraway, a hospital spokeswoman.

Zachary Winner, 33, of Sherman Oaks had surgery for his injuries Monday, said Elaine Schmidt, a UCLA Medical Center spokeswoman.

The case will be referred to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office for prosecution sometime this week, Evans said.