Police Blame Racing for 7-Car Crash
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A man who lost control of his car while allegedly street racing may have caused a seven-car pileup that killed a Garden Grove woman, officials said Wednesday.
Gerardo Cruz-Perez, 20, of Anaheim, veered into oncoming traffic while allegedly racing with another car northbound on Beach Boulevard about 6:40 p.m. Tuesday, police said.
“He was going at a high rate of speed,” said Anaheim Police Lt. Joe Vargas. “He lost control of the car and it led to a series of collisions.”
Cruz-Perez’s GMC pickup truck struck a Plymouth Voyager and a Hyundai. A Mercedes crashed into the Voyager and was later hit by a Toyota pickup truck and a Honda Odyssey. The Toyota also struck an Infiniti. Wanda Kile, 67, died at UCI Medical Center after being pulled from the Voyager, police said. A woman and a child were hospitalized with moderate injuries.
“There were collisions strewn around on all four lanes of Beach Boulevard,” Vargas said. “I’m surprised there were no other serious injuries.”
Cruz-Perez, who was treated at the scene, was not arrested pending an investigation. No alcohol or drugs were involved, police said.
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