Santos had an earlier verbal altercation inside a business in the 14200 block of Hawthorne Boulevard and was asked to leave, but returned driving his truck onto the sidewalk and nearly struck several patrons, sheriff’s officials said.

He ultimately lost control of the truck and hit a tree.

“Surrounding patrons attempted to take the driver out of the vehicle, but the driver was able to accelerate and drove his truck into a nearby building,” according to an LASD statement. “Patrons again took the driver out of the vehicle, and a physical altercation ensued, at this time Hawthorne police officers arrived on scene.”

When Hawthorne Police arrived, they found the victim lying on the ground, suffering what appeared to be blunt force trauma. He was pronounced deceased by paramedics.