HAWTHORNE, Calif. — A man was dragged from his pickup truck and beaten to death early Saturday morning by a crowd of bystanders who claimed that the driver attempted to run them down on the sidewalk, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed.
The man, identified by the coroner’s office as 40-year-old Melguin Lopez Santos, died of apparent blunt force trauma, the Los Angeles Times reported, noting an autopsy will be performed to confirm the official cause of death.
According to authorities, Santos was asked to leave Rock It Sports Lounge and Grill on Hawthorne Boulevard because of an earlier altercation inside the business, KCAL reported.
Instead of leaving, Santos allegedly climbed into his truck, accelerated onto a sidewalk and nearly ran down several patrons, the Times reported.
According to KTLA, police believe the people outside the bar tried to pull Santos from the truck, but he was able to accelerate away until he slammed into the wall of a nearby liquor store.
When the crowd again tried to extract Santos from his truck, a fight broke out, the sheriff’s department told the TV station.
Santos was found dead outside the sports bar at around 2:10 a.m., and his family confirmed his death to KTLA.
As of Sunday morning, no arrests had been made, but authorities have identified four people involved in the fight who are cooperating with investigators, KCAL reported.