Fred Lowe charged with felony DUI in crash that killed four people; he fled like a yellow coward but caught by Contra Costa deputies

From KPIX

NAPA (11/27/2017) — New details emerged Sunday night about the victims of the multi-vehicle fatal hit-and-run crash on I-80 in San Pablo that left four people dead.

That wreck Saturday evening took the lives of four members of a Napa family, including Daryl Horn — a father who was very active in his Napa community.

Horn was part of the Napa Valley Baseball Club, the local little league which played at Borman Field.

His 14-year-old son Joe was also killed in the crash.

Horns oldest son Jared was the only one in the car to survive the crash. He played baseball at Vintage High School in Napa and is currently a Cal baseball player.

The CHP arrested the driver — 47-year-old Fred Lowe – after he was involved in a second hit-and-run crash the same night. Authorities say he was drunk at the time of the crash. The crash also left six more people injured.

Lowes Mercedes hit the Nissan sedan that Daryl and his family were riding in going east on I-80 just before San Pablo Dam Road. The Nissan flipped over and crashed into other cars going the opposite direction.

“This is the definition of tragedy.  We’ve got someone who was irresponsible, drinking behind the wheel, and they have forever shaped this family’s life,” said California Highway Patrol Officer Matthew Hamer.

Officers tell KPIX 5 the suspect didn’t have a valid driver’s license because he had previously been arrested for drunk driving.  MORE

KOMO reported that father and son Baden and Troy Biddle, from Bainbridge Island, were relatives of Horn and were also in the car and killed.

SAN PABLO, Calif. — A Bainbridge Island father and son were among four victims killed in a DUI crash in northern California on Saturday night, according to the Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office. Troy Biddle, 52, of Bainbridge Island and his 12-year-old son Baden died at the scene.

Baden was a student at Woodward Middle School on Bainbridge Island. Principal Mike Florian sent a letter to WMS families on Sunday evening informing them of the accident and that counseling staff would be available for anyone who needed to talk. In the letter, Florian said Baden’s mother and sister were not involved in the accident.

Biddle was a law partner at Carroll, Biddle & Bilanko in Seattle. He was also a coach for the Bainbridge Island Little League and Bainbridge Roots Basketball program.  MORE

From CBS13

“This is the definition of tragedy,” said Officer Matthew Hamer, California Highway Patrol. “We’ve got someone who was irresponsible, drinking behind the wheel, and they have forever shaped this family’s life.”

Sunday night, CBS13 learned the wreck took the lives of four family members, including Daryl Horn: a father who was very active in his Napa community. He was part of the Napa Valley Baseball Club, the local little league which played at Borman Field.

Horn’s 14-year-old son Joe was also killed in the crash.

Horn’s oldest son Jared, who played baseball at Vintage High School in Napa is a Cal baseball player. He was also in the car but was the only one to survive.

CHP investigators say the first hit and run crash happened just after 8 o’clock Saturday night.

A blue Mercedes and a white Nissan sedan were both driving east on I-80 just before San Pablo Dam Road.  Witnesses say the blue Mercedes hit the Nissan, causing it to spin out of control and over the center divider.

CHP says Lowe was driving that Mercedes.  He didn’t stop but got off at the next exit, El Portal, where he then hit a parked car and tried to get away.

“He started walking towards a shopping center,” Officer Hamer said. “An eyewitness saw the driver exit the vehicle. He then provided that description to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Deputies.”

Deputies later found Lowe and arrested him.   Witnesses say he was the one driving the car that caused the fatal accident.  Once officers started the investigation, they realized Lowe didn’t have a valid driver’s license because he’d been arrested for drunk driving.

“His license had been suspended due to a prior DUI,” Hamer said.  MORE

• Police: Fred Lowe is a repeat offender DUI driver who had his driver’s license suspended for prior convictions.
• He fled the scene and left the highway at the next exit
• Fred Lowe hit another vehicle and tried to flee again on foot

from East Bay Times
SAN PABLO 11/26/2017 — A Sacramento man suspected of driving under the influence and causing a catastrophic freeway crash Saturday that killed four people has been arrested, the California Highway Patrol said.

Fred Lowe, 47, left the crash scene at Interstate 80 and was apprehended after Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office deputies spotted a blue Mercedes reported to be involved in the crash, CHP spokesman Officer Matthew Hamer said. Details of the arrest and where deputies spotted the Mercedes were not available immediately Sunday.  MORE

The crash also hospitalized six people, but the CHP on Sunday did not have information on the extent of their injuries or conditions.

According to the CHP, the blue Mercedes that Lowe is suspected of driving collided with a white Nissan sedan while going eastbound on I-80 near the San Pablo Dam Road exit around 8:10 p.m. The Nissan lost control and went over the center divider and into the westbound lanes where it overturned.

All four passengers in the Nissan died at the scene, Hamer said. Authorities have not identified them.

From Sacremento Bee

A 47-year-old Sacramento man was arrested Saturday night by the California Highway Patrol following a hit-and-run that killed four people on Interstate 80 in the Bay Area.

Fred Lowe was driving a 1996 Mercedes E class when he collided with a white Nissan sedan around 8:10 p.m. at San Pablo Dam Road on I-80, said CHP spokesman Matt Hamer of the Oakland division.

The collision forced the Nissan to lose control, go over the center median into the westbound lanes and hit three other vehicles.

Authorities said the crash was so horrific they could not tell the identity or ages of the victims. At least one of the injured is a minor.

From KRON

SAN PABLO (KRON) — Sunday police identified Sacramento resident Fred Lowe as a suspect in a deadly collision Saturday in San Pablo.

The crash happened around 8:10 p.m. near the San Pablo Dam Rd. exit on eastbound I-80.

Four people were killed and six others were injured in the incident, which is being investigated as a hit-and-run.

KRON4’s Hermela Aregawi was at the scene Saturday night.

She says two cars traveling eastbound crossed over the center median and into the westbound lanes, striking two other vehicles.

One of the cars that crossed the median flipped over, killing four passengers and injuring the driver.

The driver is being treated for injuries.

The Facebook page belonging to Fred Lowe of Sacramento is being lit up by those furious over his alleged DUI hit and run that killed four people: