Luis Morales-Pacheco death: Man charged with murder in hit-and-run crash that killed 13-year-old boy in Dana Point
A San Juan Capistrano man was charged Thursday afternoon in a hit-and-run crash that left a 13-year-old boy dead in Dana Point .
Bradley Gene Funk, 59, was charged with murder and hit-and-run causing death. He's also suspected of driving under the influence. Funk was expected to be arraigned Thursday afternoon.
The crash happened Tuesday morning near Park Lantern and Dana Point Harbor Drive. Funk allegedly drove onto a curb and fatally struck 13-year-old Luis Adrian Morales-Pacheco while he was walking to school.
According to records, Funk has a criminal history, including two prior DUI arrests.
Eyewitness News pulled every record from the Orange County court system on his previous two DUI arrests and noticed striking similarities to the tragedy that unfolded on Tuesday.
The Orange County Sheriff's Department said never stopped after jumping the curb and hitting the boy, but deputies eventually caught up with him almost three miles away with the help of some witnesses.
ABC7 learned Funk is still on probation for a previous DUI with very similar circumstances. According to court documents, in July 2020, Funk was arrested for DUI twice in three days.
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The second arrest happened on a weekday at 9:40 a.m., when Funk, while under the influence of pills and alcohol, hit two parked cars across the street from Capistrano Union High, and fled the scene.
He was eventually arrested and later pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to five years' probation.
Luis was a student at Niguel Hills Middle School, where students are now mourning the sudden loss of their charismatic classmate.
"He was a very kindhearted person. He didn't make just me, but he made a lot of kids smile. I'd walk into that class with such a bad attitude, and I'd come out with a smile because of him," said Luis' classmate, Harper Waters.
He never made it to school, in what many in the Orange County community consider an unimaginable and completely preventable loss.
"He didn't have a chance to grow up. It's just terrible," Ashforth said.
The boy's family set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for his funeral.
