CHP identifies Atascadero man killed in crash with suspected DUI driver

AVILA BEACH, Calif. - The California Highway Patrol has identified an elderly man who died in a crash Friday afternoon near Avila Beach.

72-year-old Glenn Howard Owens of Atascadero was killed when the vehicle he was driving was hit by a driver suspected to be driving under the influence of drugs.

It happened around 3 p.m. Friday in the area of San Luis Bay Drive and Apple Orchard Lane.

CHP said Owens was driving a Mercedes van with his wife northbound on San Luis Bay Drive north of Avila Beach Drive.

At the same time, a 31-year-old Nipomo man was driving a Ford F-250 truck southbound on San Luis Bay Drive toward Avila Beach Drive.

Witnesses told officers that the pickup truck crossed into oncoming traffic directly into the path of the Owens' Mercedes.

Both vehicles collided head-on and sustained major front end damage.

Owens was pronounced dead at the scene and his wife was transported to the hospital with major injuries.

The driver of the F-250. a 31-year-old Nipomo man, was arrested and booked into the San Luis Obispo County Jail on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash.

The man is expected to face charges for murder, law enforcement said.