Linda Vista Couple Learn a Bit Belatedly They Won $5.3 Million

On Wednesday night, Pete and Alicia Garcia became millionaires. Only thing was, they didn’t know it until Thursday night.

They’ve been buying Lotto tickets for two years and had gotten a little casual about checking the results. Pete Garcia was driving home Thursday from San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium after watching the Padres win, 2-1, against the New York Mets when he first heard the numbers over his car radio.

But it wasn’t until he got home and his wife, Alicia, checked their ticket against the numbers printed in the newspaper that they knew they’d struck it big.

Pete, 76, and Alicia, 73, are the newest winners of the California Lotto game. They became $5.3 million richer Friday when they redeemed their ticket at the state lottery’s district office in Kearny Mesa.

Garcia’s ticket, which he purchased earlier this week at Linda Liquor in Linda Vista, held the magic numbers 2, 3, 13, 23, 27 and 39. He picked the first three numbers because they represented his birthday--Feb. 3, 1913. He chose the remaining three numbers at random, said one of Garcia’s daughters in a telephone interview.

The Garcias will receive about $250,000 a year for the next 20 years, minus 20% for federal income tax.