SOUTHLAND : 2nd Lotto Winner Claims Prize

SACRAMENTO —  Eduardo Melgar, a 40-year-old carpenter, was on his way to buy a Christmas tree when he stopped at a store to check his “quick pick” numbers for last week’s Lotto 6/53 draw.

It was then that he learned he had split the $4.48-million Dec. 12 jackpot with another San Bernardino County resident.

“I can’t believe it . . . my dream came true,” he told California Lottery officials, who identified him today as the second of two jackpot winners.

They named Luz Martinez of San Bernardino last Friday as the first to claim a $2.24-million share of the prize. She purchased her ticket only 15 miles from where Martinez, of Fontana, bought his.