A routine Sunday evening in San Francisco’s Ingleside neighborhood turned tragic in late October when a pedestrian was struck and killed in a crosswalk, and the driver allegedly kept going. What started as a hit-and-run investigation has since escalated into something far more serious: a murder charge, a rarity in cases involving impaired driving.
The man accused, 48-year-old Hai Van Le of San Francisco, was taken into custody the night of the crash and has now been formally charged by the San Francisco District Attorney’s office. Prosecutors say the case hinges on dashcam footage from a witness that allegedly shows exactly what happened at the intersection, and it’s the kind of evidence that tends to leave little room for interpretation.
For car enthusiasts, cases like this hit differently. Most of us who love cars also understand the weight that comes with driving one. A vehicle is not just a machine for getting from point A to point B. It is several thousand pounds of steel capable of ending a life in an instant, and stories like this one are a sober reminder of why the basics, sobriety and situational awareness, are non-negotiable.
Here is what investigators say happened, and what has unfolded in the courtroom since.
What Happened on Ocean Avenue
According to Huntington Beach Police Department, officers were dispatched just before 6:45 p.m. on October 26 to the 1800 block of Ocean Avenue, near the intersection with Ashton Avenue and not far from City College of San Francisco.
They found a woman with severe injuries in the crosswalk. Despite efforts from first responders, she was pronounced dead at the scene. Her identity has not been publicly released.
Dashcam Footage at the Center of the Case
Court documents cited by the San Francisco District Attorney’s office describe witness dashcam footage that allegedly shows Le’s vehicle stopped at a red light before proceeding through the intersection when the signal turned green, and then driving over the victim, who was in the opposite crosswalk.
The footage also allegedly shows the brake lights activating and the car slowing briefly before continuing eastbound on Ocean Avenue. Police located Le and his vehicle later that night about a mile away, near the 500 block of Shields Street by Brooks Park.
From Hit-and-Run Suspect to Murder Charge
Le was initially booked on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter, DUI causing injury, felony hit-and-run, and elder abuse. Roughly six weeks later, District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced that her office had upgraded the case to murder.
Le was arraigned on December 10 and pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Where the Case Stands Now
Despite the DA’s office requesting Le be held without bail, citing public safety concerns, the court instead ordered home detention with electronic monitoring. Conditions include a ban on alcohol and drugs, mandatory attendance at two Alcoholics Anonymous meetings per week, a prohibition on driving, no contact with the victim’s family, and a hold on obtaining a passport or visa.
The case remains under active investigation, and the DA’s Felony DUI Vertical Prosecution Unit, funded through a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, is handling the prosecution. Anyone with information is asked to contact the SFPD tip line.