KTLA

Woman killed by suspected DUI driver while exiting parked car in Sylmar

An elderly woman was killed by an allegedly intoxicated driver in Sylmar Thursday night, officials said.

At about 8:45 p.m. in the 14000 block of Foothill Boulevard, a Ford Fusion headed north on Foothill began to drift and hit a parked car, according to Officer Jader Chaves of the Los Angeles Police Department.


The parked car contained a female driver and, until just before the crash, a female passenger, but that passenger had just exited the vehicle when it was struck, police said.

The force of the impact flung the pedestrian, identified as Aurora Reynozo, 87, to the ground, and she died as a result of her injuries.

The other woman was taken to a local hospital for treatment, but has since been released and is expected to fully recover.

The Fusion continued north after the initial collision, striking multiple other vehicles.

That driver, 33-year-old Juan Martinez, sustained minor injuries and was arrested on murder charges, said police, who have not identified the substance of which he was allegedly under the influence.

He is being held at the LAPD Valley Jail in lieu of $2 million bail, according to jail records, though the LAPD initially said his bail was set at $10 million.

A GoFundMe campaign was created to help Reynoso’s family with funeral costs.

Nidia Becerra and Alexis Lewis contributed to this report.