A man was fatally injured when struck by a speeding vehicle while standing next to his car on a Santa Ana street, and police Friday were investigating the possibility that the driver may have been street racing.
Jose Martinez, 68, of Santa Ana was either getting into or out of his car when the 19-year-old driver of a BMW apparently lost control while swerving around another car that stopped in the middle of the 1800 block of South Cedar Street about 7:30 p.m. Thursday, said Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna.
The BMW pinned Martinez against a pickup truck and kept going, slamming into five parked vehicles before stopping, Bertagna said. The motorist cooperated with investigators and provided a blood sample, but did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Bertagna said.
Police were looking for the driver of the other car to determine if the 19-year-old was street racing, Bertagna said.
“We have witnesses saying there may have been racing, but we don’t have any proof of that,” he said.
As for the other car, it abruptly stopped, so it’s unclear if the driver was parking or idling, Bertagna said.
“We’re looking for additional witnesses, video, anything to tell us exactly what happened because at this point it’s unclear,” he said.
The 19-year-old, who was released without being cited pending the results of the investigation, “doesn’t remember what happened,” Bertagna said.
Martinez was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. NBC4 reported he was the father of three girls.
“His daughter was telling him ‘I love you, father. I love you. You know that I love you,’ like in a way of saying goodbye to him,” neighbor Yamilet Marquez told reporters.