Crowd drags driver from pickup truck after he tried to hit them, California cops say

A 40-year-old driver who tried to hit a crowd on a California sidewalk early Saturday morning died after being dragged from his pickup truck and beaten, Los Angeles authorities say.

Melguin Lopez Santos of Los Angeles had been asked to leave a Hawthorne business following an argument, but returned in his pickup truck, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Santos tried to hit a crowd on the sidewalk outside the business with his truck but crashed into a tree, KTLA reported. The crowd tried to pull him from the truck but he sped away, slamming into the wall of a liquor store.

The crowd followed and dragged him from the truck and beat him, KCAL reported. When Hawthorne police arrived, they found Santos dead.

The county coroner’s office said he died of blunt force trauma, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The incident took place at 2:10 a.m. Saturday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release. Investigators ask that anyone with information call 323-890-5500.

This story was originally published October 10, 2021 at 9:08 AM with the headline "Crowd drags driver from pickup truck after he tried to hit them, California cops say."