California Pizza Delivery Driver Shot and Killed While Trying to Help 76-Year-Old Being Assaulted by 4 Men

A Domino's Pizza delivery driver in California was shot and killed on Tuesday night when he stopped to help an elderly victim during an assault in Orange County.

According to ABC 7 News, the Orange County Sheriff's Department said police officers were sent to the 7000 block of Lessue Avenue in Stanton City for reports of "trouble."

When they arrived, responding deputies found 49-year-old Juan Cristalinas of Santa Ana and an unidentified 76-year-old man in the street with several gunshot wounds.

Investigators said Cristalinas apparently stopped to assist the older man. Police noted that both men were rushed to a hospital.

However, authorities said Cristalinas died shortly after, while the unidentified assault victim was expected to survive. Police said the suspects are now on the run.

Cristalinas' son, Ivan Cristalinas, told Eyewitness News that it was true "you never knew when someone is not going to come back." Ivan said he was grateful to have shared a few laughs with his father hours before the police announced he was killed.

Juan Cristalinas: California Pizza Delivery Driver Killed

Police said they are investigating the relationship between the injured victim and the suspects. People reported that investigators are on the hunt for four male suspects believed to be Hispanic or white.

Juan Cristalinas reportedly had two jobs. He spent his weekends working on cars as a mechanic. The pizza delivery driver was described as a "hardworking, loving man."

The customer who ordered the pizza said she thought she heard fireworks. Sally Gomez Cox said she heard three booms.

Cristalinas' GoFundMe page noted that he leaves behind a wife, three sons, and three grandchildren. He was going to turn 50 years old in a few months. The pizza delivery driver's family said Cristalinas was always making time for those he loved.

The GoFundMe page was set up by Cristalinas' daughter-in-law, Daniela Trevilla, who described him as a person who always stood up for others and was not scared of doing the right thing.

Trevalla noted that all donations would go toward her father-in-law's memorial and funeral expenses. One person wrote on the GoFundMe page that Cristalinas was "one of the coolest down-to-earth guy I ever met."

The Orange County Sheriff's Department urged anyone with information on the case to contact its department at (714) 647-7000 or leave an anonymous tip with the Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.

California Gun Violence

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of firearm mortality in California is among the country's lowest, with 8.5 gun deaths per 100,000 people in 2020, compared with 13.7 per 100,000 nationally and 14.2 per 100,000 in Texas.

The New York Times reported that Californians are also about 25 percent less likely to die in mass shootings than residents of other states.

California has expanded the criteria for keeping guns out of the hands of people who pose a danger to themselves or others due to mental illness. A person cannot also have a gun for the next 10 years if convicted of a violent misdemeanor in California.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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