Hit-Run Deadly for Passenger, Police Say
A 32-year-old Anaheim man was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and drunk driving after a passenger in his car died as a result of a hit-and-run crash, police said.
Juan Galarza was taken into custody late Tuesday after officers tracking down a driver who fled a crash scene in Santa Ana found a dead man in Galarza’s home, authorities said.
Police said the victim, whose name was withheld pending notification of relatives, was in Galarza’s car when it slammed into another vehicle at West 5th Street and Harbor Boulevard about 9:25 p.m. on Tuesday.
The man was not wearing a seat belt and might have been injured when the air bag deployed or might have hit his head on the windshield, said Santa Ana police Sgt. Carlos Rojas.
Galarza allegedly fled, driving to his home in the 1500 block of Cedar Street.
The man, Galarza told authorities, lost consciousness at his home. Galarza called police, who dispatched paramedics and pronounced the man dead at the home.
Jessica Diaz, 18, of Santa Ana, the driver of the car that was allegedly rear-ended by Galarza, was not injured, police said.
Galarza is being held at Santa Ana Jail on $100,000 bail.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
