21-year-old charged with vehicular manslaughter in OC 'car-surfing' crash that killed beloved surfer

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A Huntington Beach man has been charged with vehicular manslaughter after his friend was killed while car surfing on Pacific Coast Highway last summer.

Brandon Scott Soleau, 21, was charged with one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence in the death of 20-year-old Kolby Kekoa Aipa. Aipa is the grandson of surfboard shaper Ben Aipa of Aipa Surfboards.

READ MORE: Huntington Beach community honors local surfer Kolby Aipa with paddle out

Authorities allege that Soleau was driving his truck at more than 50 mph while Aipa rode his e-bike while holding onto the vehicle.

Aipa fell and died from his injuries in August.

"This tragedy cost the life of a young man with his entire future ahead of him and will forever impact a young man who will have to live the rest of his life knowing that he killed his friend," said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. "This is a stark reminder that every action and every decision have a consequence, and in this instance the price of those decisions was the life of a 20-year-old man and that is a price no one should ever have to pay."

Prosecutors accuse Soleau of giving Aipa permission to car surf on his truck, an activity that is illegal in California.

In the weeks following Aipa's death, family and friends gathered for a memorial service. During the service, Aipa's family spoke about the impact he made in the local surfing community.

"Our son ... he was a figure here, man. Like people loved him," his father said at the time. "He was one of those authentic individuals that really cared about ... you know, 'Hey. How are you doing? How's your day?' What can I do for you?' He was like that with friends and strangers."

Soleau is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday. If convicted, he faces up to six years in prison.