RitcheyRch
08-09-2006, 05:00 AM
http://cbs2.com/local/local_story_221064943.html
(CBS) TUSTIN, Calif. Police in Tustin believe that two men who were fatally struck on the Santa Ana (5) Freeway may have been involved in a car theft before they died.
The men were hit as they crossed the freeway at Tustin Ranch Road about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night, according to Tustin Police Sgt. Duane Havourd.
Police found a Lincoln LS that was reported stolen from an Infiniti dealership near the crash site, Havourd said. It appeared that the driver had struck a curb, which flattened a tire and disabled the vehicle, he said.
A witness told police that he saw two men steal the car. The victims' clothes appeared to match that of the car thieves.
Other witnesses reported seeing the two victims jump a fence near where the Lincoln was found, then sprinting on the freeway's shoulder before attempting to cross it, according to California Highway Patrol Sgt. Chris Berry.
The men, who appeared to be in their late 20s, successfully crossed the northbound lanes, but were struck as they crossed the southbound lanes, Berry said.
Officers from the Tustin Police Department and CHP said that although they could not speak with certainty, the proximity of the victims to the stolen car suggested that the men could be the car thieves.
"It's a reasonable conclusion, but not one we can legally make," Berry said.
Apparently the two men were hit by separate vehicles and then were run over by other vehicles, Berry said. Several drivers pulled over and called authorities, Berry said, adding that it was not being considered a hit-and-run accident. No one else was injured and no one was expected to be booked, he said.
No identification was found on the victims, and the condition of the bodies made identifying them difficult, Berry said.
"They didn't remain intact very well," Berry said. "They kind of spread out."
CHP officers closed five lanes of the southbound Santa Ana Freeway, leaving the High Occupancy Vehicle lane and the shoulder open to traffic, Berry said. Cars backed up for at least two miles early today, he said.
The lanes weren't expected to reopen before 2 a.m., Berry said, adding that a biohazard team was called to the scene to clean up a large amount of blood on the freeway
(CBS) TUSTIN, Calif. Police in Tustin believe that two men who were fatally struck on the Santa Ana (5) Freeway may have been involved in a car theft before they died.
The men were hit as they crossed the freeway at Tustin Ranch Road about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday night, according to Tustin Police Sgt. Duane Havourd.
Police found a Lincoln LS that was reported stolen from an Infiniti dealership near the crash site, Havourd said. It appeared that the driver had struck a curb, which flattened a tire and disabled the vehicle, he said.
A witness told police that he saw two men steal the car. The victims' clothes appeared to match that of the car thieves.
Other witnesses reported seeing the two victims jump a fence near where the Lincoln was found, then sprinting on the freeway's shoulder before attempting to cross it, according to California Highway Patrol Sgt. Chris Berry.
The men, who appeared to be in their late 20s, successfully crossed the northbound lanes, but were struck as they crossed the southbound lanes, Berry said.
Officers from the Tustin Police Department and CHP said that although they could not speak with certainty, the proximity of the victims to the stolen car suggested that the men could be the car thieves.
"It's a reasonable conclusion, but not one we can legally make," Berry said.
Apparently the two men were hit by separate vehicles and then were run over by other vehicles, Berry said. Several drivers pulled over and called authorities, Berry said, adding that it was not being considered a hit-and-run accident. No one else was injured and no one was expected to be booked, he said.
No identification was found on the victims, and the condition of the bodies made identifying them difficult, Berry said.
"They didn't remain intact very well," Berry said. "They kind of spread out."
CHP officers closed five lanes of the southbound Santa Ana Freeway, leaving the High Occupancy Vehicle lane and the shoulder open to traffic, Berry said. Cars backed up for at least two miles early today, he said.
The lanes weren't expected to reopen before 2 a.m., Berry said, adding that a biohazard team was called to the scene to clean up a large amount of blood on the freeway