2 Held in Death of Pedestrian Hit by 2 Autos

Two men were in jail Saturday on suspicion of drunk driving and vehicular manslaughter after the cars they were driving allegedly struck the same pedestrian after both ran red lights less than a minute apart.

Refugio Barajas, a 52-year-old Orange man, waited for a green light before venturing out into the crosswalk at the corner of Katella and Shaffer avenues shortly after 10 p.m., police said. He was hit by a Chevrolet Cavalier driven by Tsukasa Yoshigaito, 28, who had run the red light on Katella Avenue, police said.

Less than a minute later, Hori Hiromi, 27, who was driving a 1990 Toyota Camry, ran the same red light and ran over Barajas, according to police accounts. Barajas was pronounced dead at the scene with massive internal injuries, officials said.

The two drivers apparently were friends and both had been headed west on Katella, police said.

Yoshigaito, an engineer who lives in Anaheim, had recently arrived from Osaka, Japan, said the manager of the apartment complex where Yoshigaito lives. He described Yoshigaito as a quiet tenant who has lived in the apartment since July.

Little could be learned of Hiromi, who like Yoshigaito is a Japanese citizen.

Both men were being held Saturday in Orange County Jail with bail set at $25,000 each. An Orange police spokesman said federal immigration officials have placed an additional hold on the two men.

A jail spokeswoman said the two men cannot not be released, even if they post bond, until they are cleared by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.