SAN DIEGO (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy serviceman was under arrest on Sunday after a pickup truck he was driving while intoxicated hurtled off a ramp leading to San Diego’s Coronado Bridge and killed four people at a motorcycle rally and festival in a park below the span, police said.

The four victims were in a vendor’s booth at about 3:30 p.m. PDT when the truck plunged off the bridge’s on-ramp and fell 60 feet (18 m) into Chicano Park, the California Highway Patrol and local media reported.

Stunned witnesses described seeing the truck flying from overhead and crashing into a crowd of hundreds of people who were gathered below.

The truck “was going so fast it flew over the stage and landed in front of the stage on a tent,” Chase Dameron told the San Diego Union-Tribune.

“It was like a movie. It was like in slow motion,” he added, describing the scene as “instant chaos and panic.”

In addition to the four fatalities, nine people, including the driver, were injured but authorities did not disclose their conditions.

“They are innocent people that are just down here having a good time, and now they’re gone,” said CHP public information officer Jake Sanchez. “It’s horrible. It’s horrific.”

Sanchez said the truck was traveling northbound on Interstate 5 when the driver lost control while exiting the freeway and crashed into a guardrail, sending the vehicle plummeting into the park below.

The driver, a Navy sailor named Richard Sepolio, according to local media, was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, Sanchez said. He was being treated for serious injuries at a University of California at San Diego hospital.

The suspect is either 24 or 25 years old, Sanchez said, and assigned to the North Island Naval Air Station on Coronado Island. He did not disclose his rank or hometown. Navy officials were not immediately available for comment.

The air station, one of several large naval installations in the Southern California city, lies across San Diego Bay from the downtown. It is about four miles from the crash site.

The fatalities included a 62-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman from Chandler, Arizona; and a 59-year-old woman and 49-year-old man from Hacienda Heights in Los Angeles County, California, an NBC News-affiliate reported.

The California Highway Patrol was not immediately available on Sunday for further comment.</s>The latest on a car plummeting from the Coronado Bridge onto a park, leaving 4 dead and at least 4 critically injured (all times local):

Authorities say four people were killed after an out-of-control pickup truck plunged off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge and plowed into a crowd gathered at a festival below Saturday.

The truck driver was among two people who suffered major injuries in the crash at Chicano Park Saturday afternoon. California Highway Patrol officials say he was taken to the hospital for treatment, and will be arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence causing deaths and injuries.

CHP Officer Jake Sanchez said seven others suffered minor to moderate injuries.

Sanchez said the truck struck a guardrail on the bridge and plummeted 60 feet below.

Witnesses say the truck landed on a vendor tent set up for a motorcycle festival. The truck's front end was crushed and its hood popped open.

A pickup truck plunged off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge and plowed into a crowd gathered at a park below, leaving four people dead and at least eight injured.

Witnesses say the truck landed on a vendor tent set up for a motorcycle festival at Chicano Park Saturday afternoon.

A spokesman for the city Fire-Rescue Department says four people died at the scene. Lee Swanson said eight people were taken to the hospital: four suffered major traumas and four had minor injuries.

It's not immediately clear whether the deceased were in the vehicle or in the crowd below. The truck's front end was crushed and its hood popped open.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

The park is located beneath the bridge in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in central San Diego.

Authorities say a car went off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge and crashed into a park, leaving four people dead and at least 4 critically injured.

The California Highway Patrol said the crash was reported at Chicano Park shortly after 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

The city's Fire-Rescue Department said four people were declared dead at the scene.

Spokesman Lee Swanson said eight people were injured: four of them suffered major traumas and the other four had minor injuries. He said several more were evaluated by medics at the park.

The cause of the crash is under investigation and both sides of the bridge are closed to traffic.

The park is located beneath the bridge in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in central San Diego.</s>SAN DIEGO (AP) — Four people were killed and nine were injured on Saturday after an out-of-control pickup truck plunged off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge and plowed into crowd gathered at a festival below, authorities said.

The truck driver, who was alone in the vehicle, struck a guardrail and fell 60 feet before landing on Chicano Park, California Highway Patrol Officer Jake Sanchez said. He was taken to the hospital with major injuries and will be arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence causing deaths and injuries, the officer said.

His name has not been released.

“It’s horrific. We had many people down here having a good time and now they’re gone,” Sanchez said.

Eight people on the ground were injured. One suffered major trauma and seven others had minor to moderate injuries, said Lee Swanson, a spokesman for the city’s Fire-Rescue Department.

Witnesses said the truck landed on a vendor tent set up for La Raza Run, a motorcycle ride that ends with a celebration at the park and typically draws hundreds of participants.

Photos from the scene show the truck’s front end was crushed and its hood popped open.

The park is located beneath the bridge in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in central San Diego.</s>Police stand near the pickup truck that landed at Chicano Park after it flew off a ramp to the San Diego Coronado Bridge in San Diego on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016. Four people were killed and nine were injured on Saturday after an out-of-control pickup truck plunged off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge and plowed into crowd gathered at a festival below, authorities said.

SAN DIEGO — What started as an annual Los Angeles-to-San Diego biker run turned into an unthinkable tragedy Saturday as a pickup swerved over a San Diego-Coronado Bridge retaining wall and plunged 60 or more feet onto a vendor’s sales booth during a festival in Chicano Park.

Four people were killed almost instantly and nine others were injured, authorities said. Two of the injured victims suffered major trauma.

The driver, who was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, was in shock within seconds of the crash and asked witnesses who rushed to his aid to please contact his commander at a nearby military base.

Authorities identified him as Richard Anthony Sepolio, 25, a Navy man stationed in Coronado.

“It’s horrible. It’s horrific,” said Officer Jake Sanchez of the California Highway Patrol, one of several agencies that responded to the emergency call. “Innocent people were down here having a good time.”

Police and paramedics swarmed to the busy park when officers reported multiple casualties among the visitors. They credited bystanders with offering first aid to victims within seconds of the crash, and for helping emergency crews close the roads beneath the bridge.

The injured were taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital, University of California, San Diego Medical Center and Sharp Coronado Hospital. Most of them were described as having moderate injuries and were expected to survive.

“It’s a miracle there weren’t more people hurt,” said San Diego police Capt. Chuck Kaye. He said several officers who had stopped by to check on the crowd saw the pickup fly off the freeway. They immediately went to aid the injured.

The driver was traveling from a northbound lane on Interstate 5 west onto the bridge when he lost control about 3:45 p.m. The tan GMC pickup with Texas license plates landed steps away from a stage, where the Los Angeles blues-roots band The 44s was in the middle of its performance, witnesses said.

Stunned bystanders watched as what had been a sun-soaked afternoon of music and entertainment turned into a deathly emergency scene. One witnessed said it was “instant chaos and panic.”

The CHP immediately closed the I-5 north access to the bridge so investigators could do their work. The eastbound lanes remained open, and the westbound side was expected to be closed into the evening.

Several thousand people were gathered in the Barrio Logan park for what is known as the La Raza Run.

One attendee said up to 2,000 bikers left downtown Los Angeles on Saturday morning headed for San Diego, with the Chicano Park festival capping off the run. Up to 1,000 others, including families and children, were from the different neighborhoods in San Diego.

People who witnessed the crash said they were stunned at what they were seeing.

“I saw a truck come right off the freeway. It was going so fast it flew over the stage and landed in front of the stage on a tent, a booth that was set up,” said Chase Dameron, who was about 30 feet away.

He said four people in the booth were crushed by the pickup. Debris from the crash was scattered onto a neighboring vendor’s booth.

“It was like a movie. It was like in slow motion,” Dameron said. “Where it hit, there was dust and debris and instant chaos and panic. People running crazy.”

Isaac Cardoza of Los Angeles was selling hats at a nearby booth nearby when the pickup came hurtling from the bridge. He said at first he thought it was a big piece of cardboard, but that didn’t make any sense.

He said the truck crushed a booth staffed with people selling T-shirts from the Wagon Wheel bar in Pico Rivera. Many witnesses whipped out cellphones to document what they were seeing, he said.

“A lot of people were holding their phones in the air, trying to record everything,” Cardoza said.

Paul Gomez, a musician with the band Generations Boulevard, said his group had finished its set before the crash.

“I was sitting on the steps of the stage and the truck came over my head,” said Gomez, who lives in the L.A. area community of Covina. “It hit the front end, bounced and landed on its side.”

Karen Hoffman, a flight nurse who is married to Gomez, said she scrambled to the crash site, but there was little to do for the people who had been in the booth. She said she tried to comfort the driver as paramedics and investigators made their way to the scene.

Another witness who identified himself only as James said he and his girlfriend were struck by some of the metal, wood and other materials that went flying once the truck nose-dived into the booth.

“We cheated death today,” said James, who said he pushed his girlfriend to safety when he realized what was happening.

None of the victims was immediately identified.</s>SAN DIEGO (AP) — A member of the U.S. Navy was arrested after the pickup truck he was driving plunged off a San Diego bridge, killing four people and injuring nine at a festival below, authorities said.

Authorities identified the driver as Richard Anthony Sepolio, 25, who was stationed at the naval base on Coronado Island across the bay from San Diego. His rank or job description was not immediately available.

Sepolio was alone in the truck Saturday afternoon when he lost control and it struck a guardrail and fell 60 feet onto a vendor’s booth at Chicano Park, California Highway Patrol Officer Jake Sanchez said. He was taken to the hospital with major injuries and was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs causing deaths and injuries, the officer said. It wasn’t immediately known when Sepolio would be arraigned.

“It’s horrible. It’s horrific. We had innocent people down here having a good time and now they’re gone,” Sanchez said.

The California Highway Patrol identified the deceased as a 62-year-old man and 50-year-old woman from Chandler, Arizona, and a 59-year-old man and 49-year-old woman from Hacienda Heights, a suburb east of Los Angeles. Authorities did not immediately release their names.

Eight people on the ground were injured. One suffered major trauma and seven others had minor to moderate injuries, said Lee Swanson, a spokesman for the city’s Fire-Rescue Department.

Witnesses said the GMC pickup truck with Texas license plates landed on a vendor’s booth set up for La Raza Run, a motorcycle ride that ends with a celebration at the park and typically draws hundreds of participants. The crash steps away from a stage where a rockabilly band was playing.

“I saw a truck come right off the freeway. It was going so fast it flew over the stage and landed in front of the stage on a tent, a booth that was set up,” Chase Dameron told The San Diego Union-Tribune.

He said four people in the booth were crushed by the truck.

“It was like a movie. It was like in slow motion,” Dameron said. “Where it hit, there was dust and debris and instant chaos and panic. People running crazy.”

Another witness said the truck hit the front end, bounced and landed on its side.

Photos from the scene show the truck’s front end crumpled and its hood popped open.

The park is located beneath the bridge in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in central San Diego.</s>SAN DIEGO — Four people were killed and nine were injured on Saturday after an out-of-control pickup truck plunged off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge and plowed into crowd gathered at a festival below, authorities said.

The truck driver, who was alone in the vehicle, struck a guardrail and fell 60 feet before landing on Chicano Park, California Highway Patrol Officer Jake Sanchez said. He was taken to the hospital with major injuries and will be arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence causing deaths and injuries, the officer said.

His name has not been released.

“It’s horrible. It’s horrific. We had innocent people down here having a good time and now they’re gone,” Sanchez said.

Eight people on the ground were injured. One suffered major trauma and seven others had minor to moderate injuries, said Lee Swanson, a spokesman for the city’s Fire-Rescue Department.

Witnesses said the truck landed on a vendor tent set up for La Raza Run, a motorcycle ride that ends with a celebration at the park and typically draws hundreds of participants. The crash occurred in front of a stage where a rockabilly band was playing.

“I saw a truck come right off the freeway. It was going so fast it flew over the stage and landed in front of the stage on a tent, a booth that was set up,” Chase Dameron told The San Diego Union-Tribune .

He said four people in the booth were crushed by the truck.

“It was like a movie. It was like in slow motion,” Dameron said. “Where it hit, there was dust and debris and instant chaos and panic. People running crazy.”

Photos from the scene show the truck’s front end was crumpled and its hood popped open.

The park is located beneath the bridge in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in central San Diego.</s>Authorities say a car went off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge and crashed into a park, leaving four people dead and at least 4 critically injured.

The California Highway Patrol said the crash was reported at Chicano Park shortly after 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

A spokesman for the city’s Fire-Rescue Department said four people were declared dead at the scene.

Lee Swanson said eight people were injured: four of them suffered major traumas and the other four had minor injuries. He said several more were evaluated by medics at the park.

The cause of the crash is under investigation and both sides of the bridge are closed to traffic.

The park is located beneath the bridge in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in central San Diego.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.</s>SAN DIEGO (AP) — A member of the U.S. Navy is facing DUI and vehicular manslaughter charges after the pickup truck he was driving plunged off a San Diego bridge, killing four people and injuring nine at a festival below.

Richard Anthony Sepolio, 25, who was stationed at the naval base on Coronado Island across the bay from San Diego, was alone in the truck Saturday afternoon when he lost control and fell 60 feet onto a vendor’s booth at Chicano Park, California Highway Patrol Officer Jake Sanchez said.

Sepolio remained hospitalized Sunday with serious injuries. His rank or job description was not immediately available.

“It’s horrible. It’s horrific. We had innocent people down here having a good time, and now they’re gone,” Sanchez said after the crash.

The people who were killed were Cruz Elias Contreras, 52, and Annamarie Contreras, 50, of Chandler, Arizona; and Andre Christopher Banks, 49, and Francine Denise Jimenez, 46, both from Hacienda Heights, a suburb east of Los Angeles, the San Diego County Medical Examiner said.

Witnesses had said four people in the booth were crushed by the truck.

Eight people on the ground were injured. One suffered major trauma, and seven others had minor to moderate injuries, said Lee Swanson, a spokesman for the city’s Fire-Rescue Department.

Witnesses said the GMC pickup truck with Texas license plates landed on a vendor’s booth set up for La Raza Run, a motorcycle ride that begins in downtown Los Angeles and ends with a celebration at the park. The crash took place steps away from a stage where a rockabilly band was playing.

On Sunday, mourners gathered at the park to lay flowers and candles and say prayers for the victims.

Tina Camarillo told the San Diego Union-Tribune she and her daughter were in a booth next to the one that was hit.

“To see such tragedy in an instant . . . ,” she said. “(The truck) fell and all I saw was darkness, the glass blew, the canopy fell on my head. My daughter was running to get my mom. It was horrible.”

Iris Jimenez, 29, told the newspaper she got out of the way just in time.

“I saw the truck coming at me, and if I hadn’t run, I’d be dead,” Jimenez told the newspaper. Her companion, Pedro Sanchez, was one of several men who rushed to lift the pickup off the victims.

Photos from the scene show the truck’s front end crumpled and its hood popped open.

The park is beneath the bridge in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood in central San Diego.</s>Four people died and nine people were injured, including the pickup driver, in the Saturday accident.

The driver, who suffered major injuries, was taken to UC San Diego Medical Center for treatment and also placed under arrest for driving under the influence.

"It was determined that alcohol was involved," said Jake Sanchez, public information officer for the California Highway Patrol's San Diego office.

Around 3:30 p.m., the gray GM pickup truck had been traveling northbound on Interstate 5, and was turning towards the Coronado Bridge when the driver lost control. Police did not have details on the vehicle's speed.

Down below, a crowd had gathered at Chicano Park for a motorcycling event called La Raza Run. "I looked up and I could see a car flying up in the air," Delores DeAngelo, who had been at the park, told CNN affiliate KUSI. "I could see it flying through the air and I thought, 'It's going to hit me,' and I moved over." She fell to the ground and heard a big boom. "All the dust started flying through the air," she said. "I could feel all the dust and dirt flying into my mouth. Pieces of car parts were flying all over the place. When I got up, we turned around and everyone started running over there because we realized there were people sitting there." When emergency responders arrived on scene, they found the pickup truck on its side, on top of four individuals. Those four died. One other person suffered major injuries and seven others had moderate injuries, Sanchez said. "It's horrific," he said. "They were innocent people having a good time."
A pickup truck hurls off San Diego, California's Coronado Bridge, plummets some 60 feet, and crashes onto a park where hundreds of people had gathered for a motorcycle rally, killing four people in a vendor's booth and injuring eight others.