Street racing accident claims life A 74-year-old...

Street racing accident claims life

A 74-year-old Huntington Beach resident died almost instantly last

week when her car was struck head on by a speeding 1998 Ford Mustang

that was racing with another car.

Margaret Leyva was driving southbound on South Bristol Street, a

busy thoroughfare in Santa Ana when Julio Enrique Trujillo, 25,

crossed the center line of and slammed head-on into her car shortly

after 1 p.m. on May 1.

Trujillo had been racing northbound with another car, a red Honda

that disappeared from the site of the accident.

Trujillo, who was weaving in and out of northbound traffic lanes,

lost control of the Mustang and crossed over the yellow divider and

into southbound lanes of traffic, Santa Ana Police Sgt. Balthazar De

La Riva said.

Leyva was pronounced dead at the scene. Trujillo was transported

to the hospital with multiple fractures and arrested for vehicular

manslaughter and reckless driving.

A citation was found in the Mustang for speeding in excess of 100

mph.

The red Honda, which has not been identified, fled north on

Bristol Street, De La Riva said.

Investigators are still searching for the Honda.

“This type of situation, spur of moment street racing, could occur

in any city in Southern California,” he added. “It’s unfortunate, but

that’s what have here.”

Small house fire on Capstone Drive

A handful of people tried to put out a house fire on Capstone

Drive with garden hoses Friday.

The fire, which occurred at 5 p.m., was extinguished within 10

minutes after two trucks and about 20 firefighters arrived.

Firefighters found neighbors on a ladder fighting the fire through

a second-story window with a garden hose and another fighting it from

inside.

One person with minor injuries was treated at the site and then

transported to the local hospital.

The loss has been estimated at $15,000.