Woman hit, killed by SUV on beach in Santa Monica; 21-year-old arrested for DUI

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) -- A woman was hit and killed on the beach in Santa Monica overnight, and a 21-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, authorities said.

The incident happened around 11:30 p.m. Thursday near the Cirque du Soleil Kooza set-up on the beach. It happened on a portion of the beach that doesn't have any barriers.

Officers were flagged down to a silver Infiniti SUV stuck in the sand, and that's when they found a woman, who is believed to be homeless, wedged underneath the car.

The victim died at the scene before she could be pulled out. Her age or identity has not been released.

The driver of the Infiniti, who police say remained on scene, reportedly was driving in circles at high speeds on the sand when he ran over the victim.

"We were just passing by walking our dog and I saw that car stuck out there... but i saw the car door open... and it looked like there was a bunch of people running away from that car, at first, so I wasn't sure what the hell was going on," said Shyler Compton, who was in the area at the time.

The driver was later arrested for DUI, reckless driving and gross vehicular manslaughter.

DEVELOPING: We will add more details to this report as they become available.