Man Shot To Death Near Century High In Santa Ana May Have Been Carjacked
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — A 34-year-old man found shot to death at a Santa Ana gas station near a high school Tuesday morning may have been the victim of a botched carjacking.
Police responding to a call of shots fired at about 2 a.m. found the man in the 1400 block of Wilshire Avenue, Santa Ana Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said. The victim, who was later identified as Hugo Sanchez Jr. of Santa Ana, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Sanchez had been found shot to death outside of his late 90's Ford pickup truck. Police say he was apparently pumping gas at a Shell station on Edinger Avenue and Grand Street when he was forced into his car and ordered to drive after an argument.
The three drove through an alley behind the gas station, Bertgana said. The truck hit a curb and jumped onto the sidewalk near a high school, where Sanchez's body was found.
Sanchez died of apparent gunshot wounds, police said.
"Was he the specific target of these two or three individuals? Then [...] there's some type of underlying problem that we need to, whether it's gang-related, narcotics-related, or is it a money issue?" asked Santa Ana Cpl. Anthony Bertangna.
An employee of a business down the street told CBS2 security video shows the shooting. According to the employee, Sanchez, a father of a young girl, is seen running away before being shot in the back by one of the suspects. He was reportedly shot three more times as he lay on the ground near Century High School.
The employee said the two suspects then jumped into a silver, compact vehicle before fleeing.
A friend of Sanchez told CBS2 the victim's half-brother is currently in prison and wondered if that had anything to do with his death.
Police have not released suspect descriptions.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
