SANTA ANA – A man was arrested for allegedly killing Arthur Carmona who gained national attention when he was released from prison after being wrongfully convicted.

Felix Abreu, 21, was arrested Thursday for investigation of gross vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run driving. Bail was set at $150,000. If convicted, Abreu faces up to 11 years in prison.

Carmona, 26, was struck and killed as he ran from a party that had turned violent in February, authorities said.

Carmona made headlines after serving more than two years in prison after being wrongly convicted in two armed robberies on the basis of eyewitness testimony.

Carmona was 16 when he was arrested and charged with robbing an Irvine juice bar and a Costa Mesa restaurant. Victims of both robberies identified Carmona as the gunman and he was convicted by a jury.

A key witness later recanted her testimony after reading a Los Angeles Times story that laid out the details of the case and two jurors said they had doubts about his guilt.

A judge threw out the case in 2000.

A Legislative bill was named after him, known as the Arthur Carmona Justice for the Wrongfully Convicted Act, that would have provided up to $10,000 for a range of social services to help wrongfully convicted people re-enter society. It was vetoed last month.

Information from: Los Angeles Times, www.latimes.com