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   SAN DIEGO - A 34-year-old man laid down in front of a car driven by a friend, and was killed as the woman drove away from his birthday party just after midnight Sunday, police said. 
   
   Jonathan Carlyle Merkley, of Garden Grove, was celebrating his 34th birthday night at the Staybridge Suites hotel, in the 6600 block of Mira Mesa Boulevard, at about 12:30 a.m. 
   
   According to San Diego police, Merkley friends' had been drinking alcohol at the hotel when the unidentified woman tried to get behind the wheel. 
   
   Witnesses said both had been drinking alcohol with friends before the incident. The man was trying to prevent the woman from leaving, walked into the path of her BMW and laid down in front of the moving car, according to San Diego Police Sgt. Tom Sullivan. 
   
   The woman did not stop, ran over the man and kept going. The victim suffered major trauma to his chest and died later at a hospital, Sullivan said. 
   
   Police know the identity of the BMW driver, but she had not been arrested as of late Sunday morning, according to Sullivan. 
   
   “She needs to turn herself in. You need to understand there was a mistake that was made, but to do the right thing,” said Gloria Williams, a hotel guest. "I think this is crazy, we don’t value each others lives.” 
   
   If anyone has information about his hit and run you are asked to contact the San Diego Police Department or crime stoppers at 888-580-8477. 
   
   [UPDATE August 23, 2016] San Diego police have not made any arrests in the deadly crash. They released this statement: 
   
   “We have interviewed the female friend and have a vehicle in custody pending examination to determine if it is the vehicle in question. We are still evaluating the other parties culpability, if any, in this collision. There have been no arrests and the investigation is ongoing. “ ||||| GARDEN GROVE - An Orange County man laid down in front of a car driven by his female friend, and was killed as the woman drove away from his birthday party just after midnight today, San Diego police said. 
   
   Jonathan Carlyle Merkley, of Garden Grove, was celebrating his 34th birthday night at the Staybridge Suites hotel, in the 6600 block of Mira Mesa Boulevard, at about 12:30 a.m. 
   
   Witnesses said both had been drinking alcohol with friends before the incident, near the San Diego suburb of Sorrento Valley. 
   
   Merkley was trying to prevent the woman from leaving the hotel walked into the path of her BMW and laid down in front of the moving car, according to San Diego Police Sgt. Tom Sullivan. 
   
   The woman did not stop, ran over the man and kept going. The victim suffered major trauma to his chest and died about 45 minutes later at a hospital, Sullivan said. 
   
   Police know the identity of the BMW driver, but she had not been arrested as of late Sunday morning, according to Sullivan. |||||  Police tracked down the woman who ran over and killed a man who was trying to keep her from leaving his Sorrento Valley birthday party early Sunday. 
   
   She hasn’t been arrested, a traffic sergeant said Tuesday. 
   
   Detectives found the woman, who lives in San Diego County, at a friend’s house, said San Diego police Sgt. Tim Underwood. She was interviewed, and a car that “may have been involved” in the crash was impounded. 
   
   “There’s a lot we still need to find out,” Underwood said. “It's the nature of collision investigations.” 
   
   Before he was hit, Jonathan Merkley, who turned 34 on Saturday, had been drinking and celebrating at the Staybridge Suites on Mira Mesa Boulevard, officials said. Soon after midnight on Sunday, a woman at the party decided to leave. 
   
   Merkley, of Garden Grove, tried to get her to stay by lying down in front of her car. She then ran over him and drove off, police said. 
   
   Investigators said after the incident that it was unclear whether the driver knew she hit the man. 
   
   lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com
target: – A birthday party in California turned tragic after the guest of honor was run over and killed by his friend. Police say Jonathan Carlyle Merkley was celebrating his 34th birthday early Sunday at a hotel near San Diego when a woman decided to leave the party. Merkley wanted her to stay and reportedly walked toward her BMW and laid down in front of what the Orange County Register describes as a moving car. The woman didn’t stop, ran him over, and kept going. Police cite witnesses as saying both had been drinking, Fox 5 reports. Merkley, who suffered major chest trauma, died about 45 minutes later at a hospital. Police tracked the woman down and a car that "may have been involved" was impounded, cops tell the San Diego Union-Tribune. The woman was not arrested but police said on Tuesday that the investigation is continuing. "There's a lot we still need to find out," says San Diego Police Sgt. Tim Underwood.