A Jurupa Valley man accused of killing a 14-year-old boy by an act of reckless driving that catapulted the teen out of the bed of a pickup truck was charged Tuesday with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence.
Layn Alan Meyer, 22, is additionally charged with willful cruelty to a child, providing false information to law enforcement and a sentence-enhancing allegation of inflicting great bodily injury.
He's being held in lieu of $1 million bail at the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside and is slated to make his initial court appearance this afternoon at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
According to sheriff's Sgt. Raemie Wood, the fatality occurred Thursday night in the area of Lakeside and Live Oak drives, about three miles from the defendant's residence.
Meyer was driving north about 10:30 p.m. when he allegedly engaged in maneuvers that ejected the 14-year-old onto the street, where he suffered major blunt force trauma.
The boy, identified only as a Jurupa Valley resident, was transported to Riverside Community Hospital, where he died a short time later.
After conducting an investigation at the scene and speaking with witnesses, detectives went to Meyer's home in the 4000 block of Scholes Avenue shortly after 3 p.m. Friday and arrested him without incident.
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Meyer has no documented prior felony convictions.
