Two of 3 Men Killed In Violent Anaheim Collision ID'd; Still No Word On Possible Hit-And-Run Charges
ANAHEIM (CBSLA) – Authorities have released the names of two of the three men killed in a fiery wreck in Anaheim early Tuesday morning which is under investigation as a possible hit-and-run.
The Orange County coroner's office identified the two victims as 63-year-old Alexander Smiller of Los Angeles and 22-year-old Jacob Rolon of La Mirada. The identity of the third man has not been released pending family notification.
In the early morning hours Tuesday, a speeding Mercedes sedan slammed into a Kia as it was pulling out of a strip mall parking lot at South Brookhurst Street and West Orange Avenue.
The wreckage was engulfed in flames. Three men in the Kia were pronounced dead at the scene. Security and cell phone video captured the moment and aftermath of the violent crash.
Sal Zatar, the owner of nearby Fusion Ultra Lounge, a hookah bar, said the Kia was an Uber which had picked up two of his customers.
"When I ran there to help, I saw the bodies in there, which, I was with dispatch on the phone...I tried to help, but I couldn't do anything, it was too late," Zatar told CBSLA Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the occupants of the Mercedes, two women in their 20s, were gone by the time Anaheim police arrived on scene. However, they were later located in the emergency room of a nearby hospital. Their names have not been released.
Police told CBSLA the women were driven to the hospital by an unidentified person. It's unclear if they will face any criminal hit-and-run charges.
"As a driver of a vehicle, when you're involved in a collision, especially when there's injuries, you're obligated to stay at the scene," Anaheim police Sgt. Shane Carringer said. "So the fact that the two females fled, even though they were leaving to possibly seek medical attention, that's something we will take into consideration when we decide if we are gonna seek criminal charges or not. But as a driver you're always obligated to stay at the scene of a collision."
