NEED TO KNOW
A 19-year-old driver allegedly ran a traffic light before crashing into three vehicles in Anaheim, Calif., on Tuesday, March 31, according to local media reports
High school freshman Andrew Sanchez, 14, and great-grandfather Alberto Piedra died in the crash
Police are investigating whether drugs or alcohol were factors in the incident, which also left multiple people hospitalized
A teenager and a great-grandfather have been killed in a multi-vehicle crash in California, according to reports.
The crash occurred at Lincoln Avenue and Anaheim Boulevard in Anaheim just before 1 a.m. local time on Tuesday, March 31, CBS News and ABC7 Los Angeles reported, citing the Anaheim Police Department (APD).
According to the outlets, APD officers spotted a silver Infiniti sedan driving erratically near the crash site around 15 minutes before.
“Our officer caught up to the vehicle, tried to initiate a traffic stop, but before the officer could even turn the lights on, the car turned off its lights, it blacked out, accelerated at a high rate of speed and it was gone,” said Anaheim PD Sergeant Matt Sutter said, per CBS News.
The driver of the Infiniti was a 19-year-old driver who police allege ran a red light and triggered the collision, per the outlet. The incident involved three other vehicles.
Two people died at the scene, per the outlet and ABC7 Los Angeles. A GoFundMe page identified one of the victims as 70-year-old Alberto Piedra. The second victim was 14-year-old Andrew Sanchez, a freshman at Anaheim High School, ABC7 Los Angeles reported, citing the Orange County Sheriff’s Department (OCSD).
According to the sheriff’s office, Sanchez was riding in the front passenger seat of the Infiniti beside the 19-year-old driver, who was critically injured. Two female Katella High School students were riding in the backseat and were hospitalized with injuries, per the outlets.
Sanchez’s friend Nathan Tello told ABC7 Los Angeles, “He was my best friend. I knew him since kindergarten … maybe he made the wrong decision that night or something. I don’t know what honestly happened.”
Piedra was father of 12, grandfather of 30 and great-grandfather of five. His daughters only learned of his death when they “drove by the accident,” his family told ABC7 Los Angeles.
“He told them that he was going to text them when he was home. Never got the message. They drove past, saw everything,” said Piedra’s niece, Laura Reyes.
Alberto Piedra
Credit: GoFundMe
Piedra was driving home from work when he was killed in the incident, according to the GoFundMe.
“He was only five minutes away from home after work … something he had done so many times before — when a senseless driver, with their lights off, hit him,” wrote his granddaughter Gilberto Acosta. “He never made it home. We never got the chance to say goodbye.”
“He wasn’t sick, didn’t have any health issues … This loss has taken us completely by surprise more than anything. We never imagined something like this could ever happen to him,” added Acosta.
The APD is investigating the incident and whether drugs or alcohol were factors involved in the collision, per ABC7 Los Angeles.
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PEOPLE has reached out to the APD, OCSD and Anaheim High School for comment.
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