Crime & Safety
Murrieta Man Killed After Ditching Car On I-215: CHP [UPDATE]
CHP reports indicate the man had been involved in a hit-and-run crash nearby before he was ultimately struck and killed.
MURRIETA, CA — A Murrieta man is dead following an early morning crash in town — which apparently occurred after he had just been involved a hit-and-run nearby, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The crash was first reported at 5:18 a.m. along the 215 freeway offramp at Los Alamos Road, according to the California Highway Patrol. Reports indicate that a 2012 Toyota Camry was in a hit-and-run crash on westbound Murrieta Hot Springs prior to the freeway crash. It allegedly fled the scene onto I-215 "driving reckless" and "ended up on the Los Alamos offramp," logs stated Tuesday morning.
CHP Officer Mike Lassig tells Patch that the driver, who has not been identified, tried to exit the 215 freeway since his car was not running properly — most likely due to the prior crash. However, the car apparently became disabled on the offramp, and the man stopped on the left shoulder.
"He exited his vehicle and attempted to cross the offramp on foot in an easterly direction," Lassig said.
However, the man darted directly into the path of an approaching vehicle, according to the CHP.
A Temecula man in a 2012 Toyota Tacoma "was unable to stop" in time and slammed into the Murrieta man, who was on foot at that the time, according to Lassig. The man was declared dead a short time later at the scene.
Police closed the freeway offramp for approximately two hours following the deadly incident to investigate and a sig-alert was in effect until about 7:20 a.m.
The Temecula Area CHP is investigating the incident.
— Photos by Joe Fanaselle
