A 60-year-old Mission Viejo woman has died after being struck by a driver suspected of driving under the influence near Pacific Crest Drive and Glenwood Drive, and the 18-year-old behind the wheel has been booked into Orange County Jail on suspicion of DUI. The victim, identified as Duo Ying Liang, was rushed to a trauma center after the crash but died from her injuries the following day.
Orange County Sheriff's deputies responded to reports of a pedestrian crash at around 9:19 p.m. on August 8, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Liang suffered severe injuries and was transported by the Orange County Fire Authority to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead on August 9, as reported by New Santa Ana. The driver has since been identified as Caleb Thomas Baeza, an 18-year-old Mission Viejo resident, per the same outlet.
Baeza was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and booked into Orange County Jail, according to CBS Los Angeles. The exact cause of the crash remains unclear, and the Orange County Sheriff's Department says its investigation is continuing. Anyone with additional information has been asked to contact the Major Accident Investigation Team at (949) 425-1860, while anonymous tips can be submitted to Orange County Crime Stoppers at (855) TIP-OCCS.
Teen Driver Faces Steep Legal Exposure Under State Law
Because Baeza is under 21, California's zero-tolerance law comes into play. Vehicle Code Section 23136 makes it illegal for any driver under 21 to get behind the wheel with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.01% or higher, while Section 23140 penalizes underage driving at 0.05% or above, according to the Shouse Law Group. If prosecutors determine that gross negligence was involved, Baeza could face charges under Penal Code Section 191.5(a), Gross Vehicular Manslaughter While Intoxicated, a felony carrying a potential state prison term of 4, 6, or 10 years, per FindLaw.
Prosecutors could also pursue charges under Vehicle Code Section 23153, which criminalizes driving under the influence and causing bodily injury or death. That statute is a wobbler offense punishable by up to four years in state prison when filed as a felony, according to My Rights Law. Formal charging decisions from the Orange County District Attorney's Office had not been announced as of publication.
A Brutal Stretch for South Orange County Traffic Enforcement
The Mission Viejo crash landed in the middle of an especially difficult week for traffic investigators in South Orange County. Just two days earlier, on August 6, the sheriff's Major Accident Investigation Team responded to another fatal DUI crash in nearby Lake Forest, arresting a 22-year-old driver on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated after a collision that killed a man in his 70s, according to MyNewsLA.com. That same day, the sheriff's department had announced a traffic safety operation planned for Lake Forest specifically targeting dangerous driving behaviors that endanger pedestrians and bicyclists.
Hoodline previously reported on a similar fatal DUI pedestrian strike elsewhere in Orange County, and on a Fullerton dance professional critically injured in a separate late-night DUI crash. Pedestrian deaths tied to impaired driving are not an isolated problem in the region. Orange County averaged 754 pedestrian accidents resulting in injury or death per year between 2020 and 2024, with 883 pedestrians injured or killed in 2022 alone, according to data cited by the Hicks Law Firm.
Nighttime Risk and a Broader Safety Trend
The 9:19 p.m. timing of Liang's crash fits a well-documented national pattern. More than 75% of pedestrian traffic fatalities nationwide occur after dark, and California recorded 1,106 pedestrian deaths overall in 2023, according to data from the California Office of Traffic Safety cited by Richman Law. Reduced visibility combined with an impaired driver significantly raises the danger for anyone on foot at night.
Even so, Mission Viejo had been trending in a safer direction before this crash. Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System data analyzed by RMD Law showed Orange County's overall traffic fatalities fell 23%, from 252 in 2022 to 194 in 2024, while Mission Viejo saw a 22% drop in fatal and severe-injury crashes comparing 2021–2022 to 2023–2024. The Orange County District Attorney's Office also maintains specialized vertical prosecution teams for vehicular homicide and serious DUI cases, and serves as a training hub in the California Traffic Safety Resource Prosecutor Training Network, partnering with the state Office of Traffic Safety, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
No further details on Baeza's blood-alcohol level or the results of MAIT's crash reconstruction have been released. Investigators have not said what led up to the collision near Pacific Crest Drive and Glenwood Drive, and the sheriff's department continues to seek information from anyone who may have witnessed the crash.
