Family devastated after motorcyclist killed by DUI driver in Orange County

The family of a motorcyclist remains devastated after he was killed by a drunk driver who was speeding at over 100 miles per hour in Orange County.

The victim was identified as Alexander Marce, 28, an Anaheim resident.

On June 12, Alexander was stopped at a red light on Orangethorpe Avenue in Fullerton when a driver in a BMW struck him and ejected him off his bike.

The suspect continued driving away while dragging Alexander’s motorcycle, which was still wedged underneath the car, for a “significant distance,” said the Fullerton Police Department.

Witnesses followed the suspect and were able to detain him until police arrived at the scene. The suspect was identified as Francisco Garcia-Vargas, 44. 

At the time of the crash, Garcia-Vargas had a blood alcohol level of almost three times the legal limit and was driving at more than 100 mph toward a red light without slowing down, prosecutors said.

The victim’s family remains heartbroken and devastated over Alexander’s death.

“Alexander was magnetic,” said Erika Diaz, the victim’s aunt. “He was incredibly determined. He brought so much light.”

“My two sisters came into the house crying and my mom and I woke up, we were extremely scared,” recalled Carlos Marce, the victim’s brother. “We had no idea what was going on.”

Alexander was an aspiring musician who had put his dreams on hold to help earn money to support his family while his mother was battling cancer.

“He didn’t deserve to be murdered this way,” Carlos said. “In such a horrendous and tragic way.”

Video recorded following the crash showed the suspect stumbling during a field sobriety test. Police said he did not try to stop or pull over to help Alexander after hitting him.

“It hurts me and affects the whole family that a man in this state could just run over somebody and continue revving the vehicle,” Carlos said.

Garcia-Vargas was arrested and charged with three felonies including gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, and driving with a blood alcohol content of .08% or higher.

If convicted on all counts, he faces up to 10 years in state prison.

Alexander’s family hopes that sharing this story will serve as a stark reminder to others that driving under the influence is never worth it.

“It’s not just risking your life, but other people’s lives, innocent lives,” Carlos said. “It’s not worth it.”

Alexander’s aunt said the family is also lobbying for stricter laws when it comes to DUI drivers.

“A vehicle is a killing machine,” said Diaz. “There’s got to be some type of severe consequences for individuals when they get involved in accidents like this. We are hoping we can set up a meeting with a state senator to discuss some type of bill [addressing these issues.]”

A GoFundMe page to help Alexander’s family with funeral expenses can be found here.

While investigating the crash, a police cruiser that was blocking traffic on Orangethorpe Avenue was struck by a motorist in a Tesla that was in self-drive mode.

The crash caused the police car to spin around, leaving the front end heavily damaged. An officer was standing near the vehicle, but jumped out of the way just in time and was not injured.