A man killed in a car crash near state Highway 87 in San Jose early Monday has been identified as Henry Olmedo, 40, of Morgan Hill, according to the Santa Clara County medical examiner's office.
Olmedo was a passenger in a gray-colored Toyota Avalon that crashed at around 2 a.m. after he and the driver allegedly stole beer from a 7-Eleven store, San Jose police said.
The driver, whose name has not been released, was speeding south on Pearl Avenue and lost control after trying to turn onto Hillsdale Avenue about a mile from the store, police said.
The driver smashed into a parked car, causing a chain reaction that involved four other parked cars, police said.
Olmedo, the only passenger in the Toyota, was found pinned inside the vehicle and pronounced dead after personnel from the San Jose Fire Department had extracted him, police said.
The driver was taken to a hospital with injuries not considered life-threatening, police said.
Investigators concluded that alcohol use was a factor in the crash and had planned to arrest the driver on suspicion of misdemeanor DUI, felony DUI and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, police said.
The driver and passenger earlier had allegedly picked up some beer at a 7-Eleven store at Branham Lane and Pearl Avenue and fled without paying for it, police said.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
