A man helping a family whose SUV broke down on the side of an Escondido road was struck and killed by a 17-year-old DUI driver.
CHP says a Jeep Cherokee SUV experienced mechanical issues shortly after 11p.m. Sunday and pulled over along eastbound state Route 78 near Broadway. Several drivers stopped to assist the Jeep’s driver while his family waited on the side of the road.
As a good Samaritan pushed the Jeep from behind, an oncoming Toyota RAV4 crashed into his stopped car -- sending that vehicle into the back of the Jeep and running over the good Samaritan. The victim, a 38-year-old man, was taken to the hospital but later died from his injuries. A man in the Jeep was taken to the hospital with a head injury.
The RAV4’s driver, identified as the 17-year-old boy, ran from his vehicle. CHP officers found him hours later at Rally's restaurant in Escondido. He was found to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Officers also found a loaded handgun and drugs inside the teenager's vehicle. He was taken into custody, facing several charges.
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