Chabad rabbi arrested on murder charge in California hit-and-run

A Chabad rabbi from Agoura Hills, California, has been arrested on suspicion of murder following a fatal hit-and-run incident near a Costco petrol station in Camarillo.

Rabbi Abba Briski, 35, was taken into custody after witnesses identified him as the driver of an Infiniti Q60 coupe that struck and killed Nicolas Lang, 28, of Modesto, in the evening hours. Police found Briski sitting in his vehicle in the car park of the complex.

Lang was rushed to a local hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. The Ventura County Sheriff's Office said in its initial charging documents that the vehicle driven by Briski is classified as a "deadly and dangerous weapon".

Rabbi Abba Briski is the son of Rabbi Moshe Briski, a prominent and respected leader in the Chabad community of Southern California. News of the arrest has left members of the community in deep shock.

In addition to the murder charge, Briski faces an accusation of resisting and obstructing a police officer in the performance of his duties. He is being held at the county jail, with bail set at $3 million or remand without bail pending trial, according to various reports.

The case has been transferred to the Major Crimes Bureau of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, working with the Camarillo investigations unit. At this stage, the circumstances leading to the incident remain unclear: investigators have not disclosed whether an argument preceded the collision, whether the act was intentional or accidental, or whether the two men knew each other beforehand.

Police have described the investigation as an active murder inquiry and are calling on the public to come forward with any information that could assist.