Santa Ana Police Department
Advisory: SAPD Collision Investigation Unit Handling Fatal Auto Vs Ped. Collision – 900 Block of W. 1st Street
Decedent: Mark Stephen Keller (40) Brea
On 12/23/2018 at approximately 5:53 a.m., Dispatchers received numerous calls regarding a vehicle that had struck a tree in the center median of 1st Street east of Flower Street. Subsequent callers reported that the vehicle occupants were walking away westbound on 1st Street. When officers arrived on scene, they located two males lying in the roadway of 1st Street west of Flower Street. One of the males had significant head trauma and was unconscious.
During the investigation, it was determined that the driver and his passenger were fleeing the scene of the collision on foot. They crossed 1st Street southbound in the west crosswalk of Flower Street. While crossing 1st Street, both were struck by a westbound vehicle. The driver of this vehicle remained at scene and cooperated with officers.
On 12/26/2018, at 5:26 p.m. the pedestrian (the person identified as driver in the initial collision) died as a result the injuries sustained in subsequent the traffic collision. The initial investigation has revealed the deceased pedestrian/driver was under the influence of a drug at the time of both collisions.
Anyone with information about this collision is asked to contact the Santa Ana Police Department’s Traffic Division at (714) 245-8200 or Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.
