Owner of Truck in Fatal Crash May Have Fled

The owner of a pickup truck that crashed into a church van Sunday, killing eight people and injuring 11, is believed to have fled to Phoenix, authorities said Tuesday.

David Martinez Palma, 23, who was initially identified as David Mendoza of Santa Ana, has not been seen by authorities since the crash, Orange County’s deadliest traffic accident. His wife, Cristina Mendoza, 21, hurriedly left her home with their two children about 10 p.m. Monday, neighbors said.

Santa Ana Police Chief Paul M. Walters said Tuesday that investigators were told Martinez may have fled to Phoenix. “It is a lead and we are checking every possibility where he could be, hoping to talk to him to find out if he was involved,” Walters said.

Police have not issued arrest warrants or statewide bulletins for Martinez because he “is only wanted for questioning at this point,” police spokeswoman Maureen Haacker said.

Martinez’s truck was one of three vehicles in Sunday’s accident at Flower Street and Civic Center Drive. Most of the dead and injured were in a passenger van headed for church services.

Witnesses told police they saw a man get out of a 1984 white Chevrolet pickup and run away. A police spokesman said fingerprints and blood samples have been taken from the truck.

About an hour after the accident, police said, Martinez’s wife reported the truck as being stolen. Earlier that day she and her husband had used the truck to help move into a home in the 2400 block of South Maple Street.

Tuesday, neighbors said that they had seen Cristina Mendoza leave with the couple’s two children, carrying bags of clothing. She also missed work Monday and Tuesday, said her supervisor at a clothing manufacturer, Elena Cisneros.

“There was a truck out there, a guy was waiting outside. I guess he was impatient,” a neighbor said. “He was knocking at the door and honking the horn.”