Driver Dies After Being Shot In Santa Ana

SANTA ANA, CA - A driver seen weaving across the road was found to be fatally shot inside his vehicle in Santa Ana, police said.

The driver narrowly avoided hitting a homeless woman on a bicycle early Thursday morning in the 3000 block of West 5th Street, Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.

"The woman saw this car weaving across the road and thought the man was drunk," Bertagna said. "She managed to get out of the way and wasn't hurt. But when police arrived at the scene they found a bullet hole through the back window of the car which hit and killed driver."

The woman managed to jump off her bike to avoid getting hit by the Ford F250, which dragged the bike before stopping, Bertagna said.

"She lost all her collectables for the night -- there were cans and bottles everywhere," Bertagna said. "And now she's out of a bike, too."

Police identified the victim as 27-year-old Erik Montes of Santa Ana.

Detectives have not established a motive, Bertagna said, and are "trying to find the original crime scene."

No suspect information was available and a motive for the shooting was unknown.

Authorities shut down 5th Street between Susan and Fairview streets for the homicide investigation.

Anyone with information on this homicide was asked to call Santa Ana police at (714) 245-8049.

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