Unconscious Man Believed Assault Victim

An unconscious man found lying next to his car on the Riverside Freeway over the weekend was identified Sunday as a 36-year-old Corona man. Police suspect that he had been robbed and assaulted.

Jorge Eduardo Marroquin was on life support systems and listed in critical condition with a head injury late Sunday at Kaiser Permanente Hospital-Orange County in Anaheim, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Brea police said Marroquin was first discovered shortly after dawn Saturday when a passerby spotted him lying next to his car just east of the Gypsum Canyon Road exit. The unidentified passerby called the California Highway Patrol to report it.

Responding Highway Patrol officers found a man without identification, a wallet or car keys lying next to a vehicle. They believed initially that he was possibly a drunk driver, and he was then taken to Kaiser Hospital, Brea Police Detective Sgt. Ed McDonald said.

However, after further investigation, CHP officers concluded that the injured driver had been the victim of a robbery and an assault. They notified Brea police of the case at 9 a.m. Sunday, McDonald said in a prepared statement.

Marroquin was not identified until 6 p.m. Sunday, after police traced the car license number back to his wife.

Brea Police Lt. Jim Winder said he could not comment on details of the investigation or why it took so long for the Highway Patrol to notify his department about a case in Yorba Linda, which is patrolled by Brea officers.

“I’m not privy to the complexities of what went on here,” Winder said. “But with him not being conscious and not being able to provide details about his injuries, I’m sure the investigating officers proceeded in the manner they thought was appropriate. As they learned more, it changed from a being a possible drunk-driving case to an assault.”

The investigation is continuing, Winder said.