Suspects Hunted in Fatal Freeway Ramming

Long Beach homicide detectives are searching for the occupants of a car they believe deliberately rammed another vehicle, containing seven people, on the San Diego Freeway early Thursday, killing a woman passenger.

“That’s unusual,” said Detective Bill MacLyman.

Added Detective Roy Hamand: “It was pretty surprising that only one person was killed. It could have been a lot worse.”

The incident, which occurred shortly after 2 a.m. near the Studebaker Road off-ramp, apparently followed an argument between a friend of the victim and two other women at a Long Beach bar.

Police said that following the argument, the victim, Marta Martinez, 28, and several friends--including the woman who had been involved in the argument--left and drove south on the freeway. Police believe they were followed by a second car for more than three miles before it rammed them from behind and then sideswiped them on the left. The driver of the car that was hit lost control, and the vehicle flipped over.

Martinez, who was riding in the back seat, was killed. Five of her companions were treated for minor injuries, Hamand said. The occupants of the other car fled on foot, he said.