4 Killed as Drag-Racing Car Crashes Into Pole, Burns

Four Santa Ana men were killed in a fiery crash when their car went out of control during a drag race Sunday.

Killed in the accident were the driver, Benito Gambino, 19, and passengers Sergio Padilla Orejel, 24; Pedro Carrasco Martinez, 23, and Antonio Pulido Arteaga, 25, according to Santa Ana police.

All died when the car, driven by Gambino, crashed into a street light pole and a fire ignited the gas tank, engulfing the car in flames.

Gambino apparently lost control of the 1973 Ford Maverick during the race about 10:45 p.m. Sunday along Bristol Street near Santa Clara Avenue, police said. The four men were trapped in the wreckage when the fire started.

Police were searching for the driver of the other car, which was described as a black Chevrolet Corvette. The driver paused momentarily at the crash scene, then sped off, officers said.

Relatives of the victims said that they had been playing poker and that Gambino had drunk three or four beers before deciding to drive to a nearby party. Gambino, who worked as a glass installer, liked to drive fast, relatives said.

Police said the drag race apparently covered a distance of only a block or two. Drag-racing is not a chronic problem in Santa Ana, a police spokeswoman said.

“I don’t think it’s any more a problem in this city (than anywhere else). Teen-agers are prone to this kind of drag-racing,” she said.