A man is facing vehicle theft and hit-and-run charges after claiming that he was being "chased by zombies" when he caused a traffic pile-up and injured seven people, as reported by the Press-Enterprise from Temecula, CA and several other media outlets.
J.H., 19, blocked Interstate 15 in Temecula for several hours on the evening of April 6. California Highway Patrol Officer N.B. explained that the Tennessee student "said zombies were chasing him and he had to get out of here."
It began at approximately 6 p.m. when J.H. allegedly stole a 2007 Freightliner three-axle tractor truck, which had been filled with strawberries, from the CHP weigh station in Rainbow. Traveling north in the stolen vehicle, J.H. sped and drove erratically through Temecula. He crashed into a Toyota Tacoma that subsequently crashed into a Toyota 4-Runner and a Mercedes.
According to a CHP news release, J.H. then ran into two more cars, lost control of the semi and flipped the vehicle over onto its side near Temecula Parkway.
One of the injured parties, a 19 year-old Hemet resident, was listed as serious. The remaining 6 people involved are described as having moderate injuries.
J.H. came to a stop blocking all four northbound lanes of the busy interstate.
Officer N.B. said that J.H. fled the over-turned semi and tried to car-jack a van. The van's driver, who had stopped to help others, refused to give his vehicle up to J.H. and pulled him out of the van.
Bystanders then stepped in and detained J.H. until CHP arrived on scene.
Righting the truck, and removing the strawberries from the roadway, required seven hours of work while the northbound lanes were forced to remain closed. N.B. said, "It was a complete mess."
It has yet to be confirmed if J.H. was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. According to N.B. "He was arrested at the crash scene and appeared to being in an altered state..."
What has been confirmed is that J.H. started out as a passenger in the semi, and the truck driver was an acquaintance. The truck driver failed to notify CHP that his vehicle had been stolen. He explained that J.H. had hidden in the berth of the vehicle while in Tennessee, then, after approximately 100 miles, revealed himself to the trucker.
The trucker, at this point, felt forced to let J.H. ride with him as he was so far from home.
However, when the trucker stopped at the weigh station and got out of his vehicle, he witnessed J.H. driving off in his truck.
J.H. was transported to the Rancho Springs Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries and to be evaluated. Later he was booked into the Southwest Detention Center.
Contact a criminal defense attorney as soon as you are charged with a crime so that you can begin to work on your case. The best way to deal with criminal charges is to have a good, acceptable defense.
