Nail Shop Employee Dies in Pico Rivera Strip Mall Fire

A pedestrian was struck and killed on early Saturday morning on the 5 Freeway near the Valencia exit.  The victim, who has not yet been identified, was reported to be walking on the southbound portion of the I-5 Freeway at around 1 in the morning when he was hit by a pickup truck.  Officials are reporting that the victim was a male in his mid sixties.  The driver of the pickup truck, also unidentified, is reported to be a 49 year-old male driving a Toyota Tacoma.  There was also another passenger in the car.  Both the driver and the passenger sustained only minor injuries. While the driver of the Toyota Tacoma stopped his vehicle and notified police immediately after the incident, it is believed that alcohol might have been a factor in the collision, as the driver was arrested.   He indicated to police that he believed he had struck an animal as he was driving a reported 70 miles per hour when the man crashed into the truck’s bumper and front windshield. It is unknown why the man was walking on the freeway that late at night, but other drivers are believed to have hit the man and drove off after he was struck.  The police are continuing their investigation.