Father of 4 is ID'd as victim killed in hit-and-run crash at Pomona taco stand; 12 others injured

POMONA, Calif. (KABC) -- Officials and family members on Saturday identified a 52-year-old man who was killed when a hit-and-run driver slammed into a popular taco stand in Pomona, injuring 12 others.

Gilberto Cazares Payan's name was released by the Los Angeles County coroner's office. His goddaughter told ABC7 that Payan was a father of four, adding that he was visiting the taco stand to pick up dinner Friday night when the violent collision occurred.

The crash happened just before 7:45 p.m. in the area of West Holt Avenue and Dudley Street, near Kiwanis Park, according to the Pomona Police Department. The driver's vehicle ended up under the stand's pop-up tent, scattering chairs and tables in its wake.

"As soon as you heard the hit, you see the man right there, he was already laying down," said witness Carlos Gonzalez. "It's all in a split-second, so when you turn around, everything was already done."

Payan was pronounced dead at the scene by firefighter-paramedics.

Twelve others were hospitalized, three of them with critical injuries, police said. Updates on their respective conditions were not available Saturday.

The driver, a 26-year-old Pomona woman, ran from the crash site but turned herself into police just before 11 p.m. She was booked on suspicion of two felonies, police said in a statement: vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, and hit-and-run with death/injury

The suspect has not been publicly identified.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation, police said.