Man, 27, working on freeway dies after car hits him; driver suspected of DUI Suspected drunken driver seriously injured in crash
JAMUL
A 69-year-old suspected drunken driver plowed through traffic cones in Jamul and struck a worker directing traffic at a freeway construction zone Wednesday night, authorities said.
The 27-year-old man later died from his injuries.
The worker was directing traffic on west state Route 94 east of Cougar Canyon Drive shortly after 9:50 p.m. when the motorist drove his 1996 Lincoln Town Car through the cones and hit him. The worker was on foot and working with a crew painting stripes on the roadway near Steele Canyon High School, California Highway Patrol Officer Travis Garrow said.
The man suffered major injuries and was rushed to the hospital, where he died. He worked for a company that is a subcontractor to Caltrans, Garrow said. His name was not released. He was a San Diego resident.
The driver, Arnold Lee Patton of San Diego, was arrested on suspicion of felony DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter. He was being held in the Central Jail without bail, according to online jail records.
This is the second time in six weeks that a construction worker has been killed while working on state Route 94. In November, 41year-old man Emilio Zaragoza was working in a construction zone on SR-94 near Avocado Boulevard when he was hit by a car that drifted into a closed lane. A family member set up a GoFundMe that has so far raised more than $10,000 to assist his wife and children with end-of-life costs and future expenses.
karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
Second arrest in deadly sale-turned-robbery
SAN DIEGO
San Diego police have arrested the second of two suspects in the shooting of an 18-year-old man killed during a Snapchat-arranged sale that turned into a robbery in the Midway District.
Armando Alvarado, a 19-yearold San Diego resident, was arrested Saturday at a family member’s home in the Paradise Hills neighborhood, Lt. Andra Brown said this week.
He remained jailed Thursday on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and robbery, according to online jail records.
His arrest came a week and a half after Angel Garcia, 18, was arrested on suspicion of murder, robbery and other charges in connection with the shooting death of Eduardo Salguero. Garcia is also accused of attempted murder in connection with the incident.
Several 911 callers reported the shooting and a car crash about 6:15 p.m. Nov. 25, a day before Thanksgiving. Police found Salguero unresponsive in a gray Acura that had smashed into a retaining wall behind businesses on Midway Drive near Kemper Street.
Salguero, who had been shot several times, was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Investigators learned he had arranged to buy an item — police wouldn’t say what — over Snapchat. When he and a friend arrived, two men got in his car. One of them pulled out a gun and the transaction turned into a robbery, police Lt. Matt Dobbs said.
Multiple shots were fired in the car. The two men took off after the car crashed.
david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com
ESCONDIDO
A suspected drunken driver was seriously injured and arrested Wednesday in a crash near Westfield North County in Escondido, police said.
Witnesses had followed the driver on northbound Interstate 15, suspecting the driver was drunk, police said. The driver, who was in a 1994 Honda Accord, exited at Via Rancho Parkway, then crashed head on into another vehicle.
A third vehicle also was involved.
The crash was reported about 7:35 p.m. The other vehicles involved were a Nissan Sentra and a Hyundai Santa Fe.
The suspected drunken driver was taken to a hospital for surgery. The extent of the driver’s injuries was unknown.
The other drivers complained of pain, police said.
Suspected burglar found in Chula Vista bank is arrested CHULA VISTA
Police officers responding to a burglary alarm found a 25-year-old man in a Chula Vista bank and arrested him Thursday on suspicion of breaking in and prying open cash drawers.
Police were alerted to the alarm at the Wells Fargo bank on Broadway near Oxford Street about 2:10 a.m. Bank security cameras showed a burglar rummaging in drawers behind counters, police said.
Officers found a shattered window and broken glass on the ground. They saw the man inside and watched him until they could safely contact him, Lt. Miriam Foxx said. They arrested him without a struggle.
The burglar caused a lot of damage inside the bank, Foxx said. The initial investigation revealed he pried open most of the cash drawers and tried unsuccessfully to access the vault and storage areas.
The suspect had “a small amount” of money on him, Foxx said. He was arrested on suspicion of burglary, then released on a promise to appear in court instead of being booked into jail because of booking restrictions prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Anyone with information about the burglary was asked to contact the Chula Vista Police Department at (619) 585-5732 or the San Diego Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477.
Teen pleads not guilty in stabbing death of woman
SAN DIEGO
A 17-year-old boy pleaded not guilty Thursday to murder in the stabbing death of a 68-year-old grandmother as she hiked a Carlsbad trail last month.
The Carlsbad teen, whose name has not been released because of his age, remains in custody at Juvenile Hall in San Diego, where he has been since his arrest as a suspect in the slaying of Lisa Thorborg.
Thorborg’s body was found Nov. 23 — midmorning on a Monday — on Hosp Grove trail, not far southeast of Buena Vista Lagoon. Blood at the scene tipped police that her death was suspicious. An autopsy revealed she had been stabbed.
Police have been mostly mum about the case, and have not said what led them to arrest the teenager Monday, three weeks after the slaying that unnerved the community.
Thursday’s hearing in the Juvenile Court division of San Diego Superior Court offered no new information on the investigation. However, details could become public next week, when the jailed teen is due back in court for a hearing to determine whether he should be released to his family.
Although the teen’s case is starting in Juvenile Court, as is required by law, prosecutors asked for a hearing to have a judge determine if they can try the 17-year-old as an adult. A date for that hearing has not been set.