A man was fatally struck by two cars after he tried to flee an attacker wielding a machete.
The man, who has not been publicly identified, was hit by two drivers in Westminster, California, on June 14, according to local law enforcement officials. Both drivers fled before police arrived, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Just minutes earlier, the man had been attacked by “several” people, including one who struck him in the head “several times” while wielding a machete, according to the Westminster Police Department.
The man ran away from the group and tried to flag down passing cars for help. He then walked into the road, near the 9200 block of Bolsa Avenue, where he was hit by two cars. He was pronounced dead by the Orange County Fire Authority.
Police have since arrested 25-year-old Keaton Jones and 56-year-old Qui Ly in connection with the attack. The men, both Westminster residents, were booked into Orange County Jail on attempted murder charges. Investigators also found the machete in one of the suspect’s possession.
Police have yet to release additional details about the motive, or whether the suspected attackers knew the victim. Westminster authorities are investigating the attempted murder and hit-and-run crash separately, the police department noted.
Investigators identified one of the drivers involved in the hit-and-run crash after they fled to Anaheim, located about 15 miles northeast of Westminster. That driver’s name has not been released.
The second driver, who was seen in a “newer blue or black Toyota Rav 4,” is still at large, police said. The Westminster Police Traffic Division urges anyone with additional information about the incident to come forward.
Westminster, located about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles in Orange County, is home to nearly 90,000 people. It sits just a few miles inland from popular coastal destinations, including Long Beach and Huntington Beach.
