Police arrest suspect in hit-and-run crash that killed Atascadero boy
An Atascadero man has been arrested after he allegedly hit and killed an 11-year-old boy on El Camino Real on Friday.
In a news release Saturday afternoon, the Atascadero Police Department said it has charged Zachary Bernal, 31, of Atascadero, in connection with the fatal hit-and-run crash, which occurred in the 10800 block of El Camino Real.
According to a previous news release, a vehicle veered off the road and hit the boy from behind at around 2:54 p.m. on Friday. The boy died from his injuries at the scene.
Police then undertook a search to attempt to find the driver of the vehicle.
With the help of “community-provided video footage,” officers located a 2003 Ford F-150 that was believed to be the suspect’s vehicle and which had been abandoned behind an apartment building several blocks from the scene.
Thanks to “extensive investigation” the Police Department on Saturday said officers were able to identify Bernal as “the driver responsible for the hit-and-run collision that tragically claimed the life of an 11-year-old boy.”
The agency said Bernal is expected to be charged with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and felony hit-and-run resulting in death or injury.
As of Saturday afternoon, Bernal was in custody at San Luis Obispo County Jail, with bail set at $65,000, according to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office’s Who’s in Custody page.
According to the page, Bernal appeared to have been booked into County Jail at 11:49 p.m. on Friday night. He also faces potential misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled narcotic substance and a repeat violation of being under the influence of a controlled substance, the booking log said.
The Police Department said the investigation remains active, and it is continuing to gather evidence related to this case.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Police Department at 805-461-5051 or its detective bureau at 805-470-3252.
For anonymous tips, call San Luis Obispo Crime Stoppers at 805-549-STOP.
The identity of the boy has not been released by the Police Department, though a vigil was planned in his memory at Paloma Creek High School in Atascadero from 2 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, according to social media posts.
Mourners visit memorial on El Camino Real
On Saturday, visitors and family members stopped by to pay their respects at the memorial beside the sidewalk where the boy was hit.
A relative said the family lived in an apartment complex just north of the site, but members who stopped by the memorial did not want to talk yet.
Longtime Atascadero resident Ty Murray stopped by with his 11-year-old grandson Talon Doughty.
“I just felt really bad,” Murray said when asked why he came by. “I can’t imagine the heartbreak that the parents must be going through right now.”
“My grandson is his age, and he was curious to know who he was,” he added. “So we just came down to see if we could find out some more information.”
Talon said he went to school and played soccer with the boy.
“He was in some of my classes. We always played soccer together with this little friend group of eight, maybe nine people.” Talon said. “(He was a) really kind kid, (but) we always kind of played, like, dirty in soccer. It was fun.”
On Friday night, Tom Butler, superintendent of Atascadero School District, said the boy was a student at Atascadero Middle School. Butler sent out a letter about the death to parents, guardians and staff.
“This is a heartbreaking loss for the entire school community, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” he wrote.
Butler said the district would have support resources available at all of its school sites on Monday.
This story was originally published March 15, 2025 at 4:54 PM.
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