Man who fell downtown was suspect in hit-run

SAN DIEGO  —  A man who fell or jumped to his death Monday off a parking structure near the Occupy San Diego protest at City Hall has been tentatively identified as the suspect in the hit-and-run death of a Caltrans worker in Imperial County.

Kyle Pearson of San Diego was charged with vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and fleeing the scene of a crash in the June 7 death of Jaime Obeso.

Obeso, 53, was supervising roadwork when he was struck and killed on Interstate 8 near the Sunbeam rest area, six miles west of El Centro, said Imperial County Deputy District Attorney Jeffrey Brooker. Pearson allegedly plowed through the safety cones, struck Obeso, continued through the rest stop and then flipped his own pickup.

He was believed to have been under the influence of marijuana at the time, Brooker said.

Pearson was supposed to appear in court Tuesday to set the trial date, but he did not show up, Brooker said. The prosecutor was told that Pearson’s girlfriend identified the body and notified Pearson’s attorney of his death at Occupy San Diego.

Pearson’s attorney did not return a phone call for comment Wednesday.

The Medical Examiner’s Office has yet to determine whether the death was an accident or a suicide. An autopsy had been scheduled for Tuesday.

San Diego police said their preliminary investigation indicated the death was a suicide.

Pearson fell or jumped from the eighth level of a parking structure near the entrance of Golden Hall, where about 200 to 300 protesters from the Occupy San Diego movement had gathered, many in tents. He landed on the concourse near the encampment.

Police said he was not believed to have been affiliated with the protesters. Some witnesses told police that he may have been hanging signs before his death.