OXNARD : Man, Nephew Killed While Crossing Street

A speeding car with a suspected drunk driver at the wheel hit and killed a man and his nephew and injured a third man in an Oxnard crosswalk early Sunday, police said.

Gary Scott Sananiego, 21, of Camarillo was headed north on Oxnard Boulevard about 1:40 a.m. when he was spotted by officers on patrol, police said.

But just as the officers started to give chase, Sananiego--traveling an estimated 70 m.p.h.--entered the crosswalk at Oxnard Boulevard and 7th Street, hit a bicycle being pushed by one man, then struck the other two men, said David Keith, an Oxnard police spokesman.

“This guy’s flying down Oxnard Boulevard and just seconds later, as the officers turned right, this guy starts hitting people in the crosswalk,” Keith said. “There wasn’t enough time for us to get into a pursuit. The whole thing transpired over a 15-second period.”

The dead men were identified as Baltazar Camacho Bojorquez, 37, and his nephew, Eleno Leyva Bojorquez, 20, both of Oxnard. “I don’t think they knew what hit them,” Keith said. “They were thrown 170 feet.”

Sananiego’s car just missed Tiedor Franco, 61, but clipped the bicycle he was walking. The bike spun around, injuring Franco’s wrist and back, Keith said.

The car crashed into a light pole. Sananiego was ejected from the vehicle and suffered multiple head cuts and a possible skull fracture.

“He was unaware that he’d hurt anybody,” Keith said.

A preliminary blood test performed at St. John’s Regional Medical Center indicated Sananiego had a blood-alcohol level of .29%--nearly four times the legal limit, police said.

Keith said Sananiego could be charged with murder or manslaughter, felony drunken driving and numerous traffic violations.

Oxnard Boulevard was closed off for more than six hours Sunday morning as police conducted their accident investigation.

Another Oxnard pedestrian was killed Saturday in a separate traffic accident.