Monterey Park residents mourn loss of beloved crossing guard

MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (KABC) -- Residents in a Monterey Park neighborhood are mourning the loss of a beloved crossing guard, who was killed in a traffic crash.

Abel Flores Castellanos, 76, was killed Tuesday afternoon. The California Highway Patrol says a silver Mustang swerved to avoid a Toyota making a left turn and ran over Castellanos, who was sitting in front of a fire station.

"I was so devastated last night. I still can't get over this, but he was a good man," said Loraine Prietto, Castellanos' daughter. "My dad would have, he would have risked his life for anybody, if a kid was in the way."

The incident occurred at South Garfield Avenue and East Elmgate Street - the site of a growing memorial of candles, letters and flowers. One note read, "Thank you. You kept me safe when I was a kid. Thank you on behalf of all of us kids."

"We did see him every day coming home, so it was kind of like we did know him," said area resident Loraine Sandoval.

The driver of the Mustang, 19-year-old Jin Yuan Yang of Monterey Park, was driving with a 53-year-old passenger. According to CHP, Yang does not have a driver's license, only a Chinese passport.

The driver of the Toyota was identified as 45-year-old Richard Katekawa of Monterey Park.

It remains unclear if either driver ran a red light, but both cars stopped and cooperated with investigators following the collision.

Castellanos was a well-known fixture in the neighborhood, and his death is hard on those who knew him.

"He's one of the really good guys that I knew in this area. He was always happy and he always laughed and talked with all the parents who would bring their kids to school. Even when they were driving by, he would be waving and they would sort of stop and talk," said Matt Lewis of Monterey Park.

Area residents say Castellanos was a crossing guard in the neighborhood for well over a decade.

"It's pretty sad because this is a man that was out here, cold, rainy day, summer and protecting our kids. Protecting not only the kids but the adults, the grandparents," said area resident Carmen Garcia.

The outpouring of love from local residents serve as some amount of comfort for Prietto, knowing her father was so loved.

"He loved it. This was what he was meant to do," Prietto said.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.