Four Pepperdine University students killed in crash on California highway, driver arrested

Four college students at Pepperdine University in Malibu were killed Tuesday and two others were injured when a car careened into them as they stood along the Pacific Coast Highway, officials said.

The driver, identified as 22-year-old Frazier M. Bohm, was arrested and charged with vehicular manslaughter after it appeared he had lost control of his car around 8:30 p.m. local time, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Sheriff’s Capt. Jennifer Seetoo said at a news conference Wednesday morning that Bohm has minor injuries and has been released as the investigation is being conducted.

The four women who were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash were identified as students at the nearby Pepperdine University, a private Christian university overlooking the Pacific Coast Highway. The school later identified the victims in a statement as Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams, all of whom were seniors.

Two others were taken to a hospital after the crash, but there was no word yet on their conditions, according to the Associated Press.

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Pepperdine plans prayer service after 'unimaginable tragedy'

Pepperdine President Jim Gash lamented in a letter to the university community the "devastating" toll the "unimaginable tragedy" would have on the small university campus.

“To the students who loved, lived with, and were in community with the departed members of our Pepperdine family, my heart is broken with yours,” Gash said. “I join you in your grief as we process this profound loss."

The university was planning a prayer service for Thursday open to students and staff to remember and honor the women, who attended the university’s Seaver College of Liberal Arts.

The university is also planning memorial services with the families, according to its statement.

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Investigators believe speed was a factor in crash

Investigators believe Bohm was driving a dark colored BMW westbound at a high rate of speed when he lost control and slammed into three parked vehicles, which then crashed into a group of nearby pedestrians.

A statement on Facebook from the city of Malibu on Wednesday cited a “speeding motorist” as the cause of the deadly crash, which occurred about 25 miles west of downtown Los Angeles.

Speeding vehicles on the 21-mile stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway running through Malibu is an ongoing concern for law enforcement, Seetoo said, noting the number of fatal crashes that have occurred throughout the years on the road.

“We need to do something different,” Seetoo said. “We’ve got to work together as a community; there's too many people on this stretch of the highway that have been killed.”

Contributing: The Associated Press

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]