Independence Day in San Marino began as most do, with over 800 community members joyfully assembling for what this year was the 15th annual J.P. Blecksmith Memorial 5K Walk & Run.
But within 90 minutes of the race’s completion, the small town ambiance was shattered, first by the trembling felt from a powerful earthquake that took place near Death Valley, then a few minutes later by something much worse, as a man and his dog were struck and killed at 10:35 a.m. by a car that was believed to have been involved in a street racing incident. The bodies of the man and his dog were each covered with a pink cloth while officers from multiple law enforcement agencies investigated the incident.
Two cars–a blue Toyota and a white Mercedes–were traveling westbound on Huntington Drive at a high rate of speed when the Mercedes attempted to cut off the Toyota. The driver of the Mercedes lost control of his vehicle and struck the man and his dog in the median at Kenilworth, where they were crossing Huntington Drive. The Mercedes continued another one hundred feet and ended up in the eastbound lane of Huntington Drive. The driver of the Toyota pulled over and parked in front of Wells Fargo Bank.
An individual with knowledge of the incident who spoke with The Tribune went to the accident site immediately and checked the status of the man–who is believed to be a white male in his 50s–but the witness said the victim was dead just seconds after impact. Two athletic shoes believed to belong to the deceased man were strewn about; one in the median and the other in the westbound lane of Huntington Drive, and were believed to have been removed by the impact of the crash.
The drivers of the vehicles believed to have been involved in the street race, both white males, are juveniles, according to law enforcement officials.
Please check sanmarinotribune.com for updates on this story.
