Longtime Orange County Register editor killed in crash involving street racers, police say

SANTA ANA, Calif. (KABC) -- A longtime newspaper editor was killed after his pickup truck was hit by a driver who was street racing with another vehicle in Santa Ana Thursday morning, police said.

The crash claimed the life of Eugene Harbrecht, 67. He worked at the Orange County Register for 35 years.

Santa Ana police said a BMW and an Infiniti were street racing in the area of Bristol Street and Santa Clara Avenue at about 11:45 a.m. when the BMW slammed into Harbrecht's truck.

The truck then crashed into an electrical box and fence before catching on fire.

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A good Samaritan smashed the window and pulled Harbrecht out of the vehicle, but he later died at an area hospital.

The driver of the BMW, identified as 29-year-old Santa Ana resident Louie Robert Villa, was arrested for felony vehicular manslaughter and was also hospitalized.

The Infiniti driver sped away, but police say they tracked down the suspect and arrested him for vehicular manslaughter. He is identified as 24-year-old Ricardo Tolento Navarro from Santa Ana.