Trucker Is Arrested in Fiery Death

A trucker believed to be driving under the influence of alcohol slammed into the back of a car in Orange on Sunday afternoon, triggering a fiery chain-reaction crash that killed one motorist and injured several others, police said.

Horrified onlookers rushed to help, despite the intense heat of the flames that engulfed the front of the tractor-trailer rig and a black Mercedes-Benz. Witnesses told police the truck driver, identified by police as Raymond Daniel Glenn, 39, of Reno, got out of his cab and began to walk away, then broke into a run.

A manager at a nearby Good Guys store said he and two co-workers took off after Glenn and detained him for police. David Hauser, the manager, said that while they where holding him, Glenn kept repeating, “I hurt people. I never hurt people before.”

As he was waiting to be interviewed by police about what he witnessed, Hauser said he felt helpless that he couldn’t do more.

“We tried to get the person out of the Mercedes, but the door was stuck, and by then everyone was afraid it was going to blow,” he said. “I wish there was more we could have done for the person in the Mercedes.”

Lt. Steve Ames of the Orange Police Department said Glenn was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving, but other charges are likely pending the outcome of the investigation. Glenn was being held Sunday at the Orange County Jail.

Police did not immediately release the name of the victim, the sole occupant of that car, saying the victim’s family had not yet been notified. Three other victims, from two other cars and all with minor injuries, were taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Orange. They were treated and released.

The crash occurred about 12:30 p.m. at the busy intersection of West Chapman Avenue and Main Street. Glenn was driving his truck east on Chapman approaching Main, according to police.

Hauser said he and his co-workers at Good Guys were busy working on car stereos at an installation bay about 50 yards away when they saw the semitruck hit a tree, then veer across traffic lanes and slam into the Mercedes as it waited in the left-turn pocket. The Mercedes was forced into two other vehicles that were waiting to turn ahead of it.

The fiery crash snarled traffic for hours as the intersection was closed for investigators to examine the crash scene. By midafternoon, traffic was diverted onto neighboring streets and large crowds continued to gather, people shaking their heads at the charred wreckage.

The cab of the big rig was blackened and the rear of the Mercedes was crumpled. Tires on both vehicles were melted from the fire, which may have been triggered when the truck struck the Mercedes’ gas tank.

At Blockbuster Video, employees and customers who witnessed the crash said they couldn’t believe their eyes.

“We heard a loud sound and by the time we saw where it was, everything near the truck was engulfed in flames. And it kept getting larger and larger,” employee Gabriele Sanchez said.

Times staff writer Brady MacDonald also contributed to this report.