Journo Hastings' Car Was Speeding Before Death: Cop

The car carrying journalist Michael Hastings—in which he was apparently the only person, the New York Times notes—was likely speeding before he died in a crash, says a former LAPD cop. The car's motor was found some 100 feet away from the vehicle, suggesting the driver was going at more than 60 miles per hour on the edge of Hollywood—or, as the former officer tells LA Weekly, he "was hauling Irish ass and lost control." The investigation continues: Police still haven't identified the victim, says an official, though Hastings' wife has confirmed he died in a car crash, the Times reports.

Meanwhile, the coroner is investigating the possibility of a drug or alcohol influence, a process that could take weeks. Hastings wrote about having a drinking and drug problem, including noting a drunk-driving crash at age 19, though he wrote last year that he'd been alcohol-free for 10 years. Meanwhile, the inevitable conspiracy theories are coming out: Hastings wrote in a 2012 book that an aide to Gen. Stanley McChrystal told him, "We'll hunt you down and kill you if we don't like what you write." WikiLeaks tweeted last night that Hastings had told the organization "the FBI was investigating him" shortly before he died. LA Weekly has more. (More Michael Hastings stories.)