Drunk Driving Suspect Will Be Charged With Murder

A man injured last week when his car was hit by an alleged drunken driver running a red light died Thursday at a hospital, and authorities plan to charge the suspect with murder, police said.

William B. Ramsey, 64, of Santa Ana was taken to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana after the accident Aug. 12. He died at 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Lt. John FitzPatrick said.

Ramsey was a passenger in a car hit broadside by a vehicle driving by German T. Zamora, 23, of Costa Mesa, at Bristol and Baker streets shortly after 3 a.m., FitzPatrick said.

Zamora had just eluded police during a brief, high-speed chase from central Santa Ana, where officers had tried to stop him for speeding, police said. Officers lost Zamora in Costa Mesa between Sunflower Avenue and the San Diego Freeway overpass.

The suspect was driving south on Bristol about 100 m.p.h. when he ran the red light at Baker, FitzPatrick said.

Zamora was arrested at the scene on suspicion of felony drunk driving and felony evading arrest, police said.

“Because of the victim’s subsequent death and the circumstances leading up to the crash, second-degree murder charges will be filed against German Zamora,” FitzPatrick said.

According to records kept by the state Department of Motor Vehicles, the suspect has a state identification card but no driver’s license, though an application for one was pending.

Police found an open 12-pack of beer in Zamora’s car, and both he and his passenger admitted to officers that they had been drinking in Santa Ana, Officer Steven Rautus said.