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Man Killed by Truck He Allegedly Helped Steal

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TIMES STAFF WRITER

A man was killed late Sunday when he was run over by one of two tow trucks that he and two companions had stolen from an Anaheim business, police said Monday.

Luis Daniel Cabrera, 24, of Los Angeles died of massive head trauma after he and two others stole the tow trucks at 11:52 p.m. Sunday, said Anaheim Police Sgt. Mike Hidalgo.

“From where they found his body, we believe he tried to jump from the truck as it was moving,” Hidalgo said. “It’s obvious the truck ran over him because he sustained massive head injuries.”

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According to police, Cabrera was a passenger in one of the trucks stolen from a truck repair business in the 4900 block of East La Palma Avenue.

The trucks were rammed through a locked chain-link fence. Two police officers answering a suspicious-activity call at the site narrowly escaped being hit by the trucks, Hidalgo said.

As police chased the trucks, Cabrera jumped from one and was killed, and its driver lost control and crashed into a tree, authorities said. The driver fled on foot and was not captured.

Police arrested the second driver, Eduardo Ochoa, 22, of Los Angeles, after they saw him driving toward the onramp to the westbound Riverside Freeway. Police said Ochoa abandoned the truck before reaching the freeway and fled on foot; a police dog found him hiding in a ditch.

Ochoa was booked into Anaheim City Jail on suspicion of vehicle theft and assault with a deadly weapon on a police officer.

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