A pizza delivery driver was shot and killed on Wednesday after reportedly stopping on his rounds to assist a 76-year-old victim who was being attacked.
According to Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the driver, 49-year-old Juan Cristalinas, saw a 76-year-old being attacked by four men and stopped by the roadside to help.
The victim’s son, Ivan Cristalinas, described his father as someone who always put others first.
“He was helping the right person but maybe the wrong people were present and it just didn’t go in his favor,” Ivan said.
Ivan added that he wasn’t surprised his dad had thrown himself in harm’s way to try to save someone else.
As per reports, deputies responded to Lessue Avenue in Stanton, California at 7:21pm on Wednesday, June 29. They found two gunshot victims lying in the street, one of who was Juan.
The 49-year-old pizza delivery driver, from Santa Ann, was thought to be working when he drove past a 76-year-old being attacked by a quartet of men.
Sadly, both Juan and the 76-year-old were shot. They were taken to hospital, where Juan was declared dead. The 76-year-old, meanwhile, remains in stable condition at the hospital.
“This is a tragic incident,” said Sgt. Todd Hylton, with Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
“It appears that the pizza delivery man, Mr. Cristalinas, was trying to be a good Samaritan and lost his life trying to assist another person.”
He added: “Unfortunately, Mr. Cristalinas paid with his life.”
Witnesses are said to have told deputies that four attackers fled the crime scene before police arrived. There was no detailed description of the gunmen.
What is the world coming to when atrocities like this can be committed in broad daylight?
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