Man Killed After Pickup Flips During Street Takeover In Costa Mesa; Driver Charged With Murder
COSTA MESA (CBSLA) – A driver has been arrested on murder charges after one man was killed when a pickup truck crashed during a street takeover involving dozens of vehicles in Costa Mesa early Thursday morning.
The man killed is believed to be the cousin of the driver, police told CBSLA.
What started out as a massive street takeover in Anaheim in which a woman was struck and injured quickly transitioned to Costa Mesa.
A Chevrolet Colorado was allegedly whipping around recklessly, doing donuts, when it crashed and rolled at the intersection of Hyland and Sunflower avenues a little before 2:30 a.m., according to Costa Mesa police.
"The first officer on scene witnessed approximately 80 to 100 spectators and vehicles doing donuts in this intersection here...the intersection was just completely taken over," Costa Mesa police Sgt. Zack Hoferitza said.
The officer was waiting for backup to arrive when the truck flipped.
"Because of violence that our officers were met with in the past when they come up on these situations in our city, the officers are now trained to wait for follow up," Hoferitza said. "Unfortunately, before other officers could get here to control the situation...the Chevy Colorado rolled."
A man in his 20s who was riding in the pickup truck died at the scene, police said. He is believed to be the cousin of the driver. He was not immediately identified. A teen boy riding in the pickup was also taken to a hospital with broken bones and cuts.
The driver remained at the scene and was interviewed by investigators before being arrested on murder charges. Alcohol is not believed to have been a factor, Hoferitza said.
At least four others were arrested as well.
"The other four are spectators, and they were booked on aiding and abetting in this incident," Costa Mesa police spokesperson Roxi Fyad told CBSLA.
Meanwhile, a 19-year-old man was arrested and charged with hitting and injuring an 18-year-old woman during the Anaheim street takeover which occurred prior to the one in Costa Mesa.
At around 1:30 a.m., the woman was watching dozens of vehicles doing donuts in the parking lot of the Anaheim Plaza shopping center, at 400 North Euclid St., when she was struck by one of them, leaving her lying unconscious in the parking lot, surrounded by the crowd of onlookers, police said.
The suspected driver, Preston James Shea, gave his contact information to a witness but then fled, police said.
The woman was taken to a hospital where she is stable and is expected to survive.
Shea was later arrested on charges of felony hit-and-run, reckless driving causing great bodily injury and assault with a deadly weapon, non-firearm.
