Spring Valley

Good Samaritans Rescue Driver of Burning SUV Accused of Hit-and-Run Spree

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Good Samaritans came to the rescue of a man trapped in a burning SUV in Spring Valley who had just crashed his vehicle for the fourth time on Tuesday night, according to the CHP.

Investigators said the chain of events began at about 6:15 when the 21-year-old man was headed east on Jamacha Road in a 1998 Mitsubishi Montero. As he entered the intersection at Kempton Street, he rear-ended a GMC Sierra driven by a 73-year-old man, who suffered minor injuries in the wreck.

The driver of the Mitsubishi fled the scene, according to the CHP, and he then hit two other parked cars within the next half-mile in separate incidents.

As the driver approached state Route 125 on Jamacha Road, he went through a red light and struck another car, this one a 2012 Kia Sorento driven by a 41-year-old woman, who was also lightly injured.

The Mitsubishi flipped over and soon caught fire, CHP officers said, and the young man, who was not wearing a seat belt during the wreck, was trapped inside. Witnesses, including two brothers and a person with some firefighting training, rushed to the scene and flipped the car back over and pulled the man out of the still burning vehicle.

The seriously injured driver, now facing felony DUI charges, was taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital for treatment.

Anyone with information about the case is being urged to call the California Highway Patrol at 619-401-2000.

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