Officials Sunday released the name of the 58-year-old man who jumped to his death from a freeway overpass Saturday in the Athens area of Los Angeles.
The man was identified as Ramiro Villegas of Inglewood, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
The California Highway Patrol received calls around 7 a.m. Saturday that a motorist was driving the wrong way on the transition road from the southbound Harbor (110) Freeway to the westbound Glenn Anderson/Century (105) Freeway, CHP officer Lance Nieves told City News Service.
“Our units responded and found the car on the right shoulder of the transition road. Officers went to the car to make sure the driver was OK. The driver got out and appeared very distraught to our officers,” Nieves said.
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When the officers tried to talk to the man to find out what was wrong, he suddenly bolted and jumped from the transition road onto the southbound 110 Freeway.
“Paramedics responded but the man was pronounced dead at the scene,” Nieves continued.
Nieves said the drop was at least 100 feet. Officers never learned why the man was so upset, he added. The transition road from the southbound 110 Freeway to the westbound 105 Freeway was temporarily closed after the incident. It reopened just before 5 p.m.
