Surveillance video captured the moment a driver ran into a crowd in a parking lot in Moreno Valley, killing a father of three Thursday morning before fleeing the scene.
Authorities responded to the crash around 2:06 a.m. at the parking lot of El Rodeo Restaurant and Club, on the 248000 block of Alessandro Boulevard, CAL Fire and Riverside County Fire Department officials said.
A man identified as J.R. Gonzalez, 29, was killed, and another person was also transported to the hospital with serious injuries, Riverside County Sheriff’s Department said.
Investigators said two men were in the black Ford 150 that killed Gonzalez, and were last seen heading down Alessandro Boulevard.
A large crowd gathered Friday evening in the parking lot where their friend was killed.
"We grew up as brothers, to the point where he didn’t know my mom’s first name, other than, 'Mom,'" Jeovanny Nuñez said. Nuñez and his older brother were both in disbelief at the loss of their childhood friend.
One witness, Victor Ibarra, said the club was having a Halloween night, and dozens of people were leaving because it had just closed at 2 a.m.
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Other witnesses watched in horror as the driver ran over the victims seemingly without hesitation.
Gonzalez's friends say he was at the restaurant as an event coordinator for the party.
"He was a loving father," Nuñez’s brother said.
At this point, investigators are still trying to identify the driver. If you have any information, please call the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department.
"I just want justice for him," Nuñez said.
