56-year-old victim in Sunday crash on Highway 111 in Palm Springs identified as Gardena man

Paul Albani-Burgio, Palm Springs Desert Sun
·1 min read
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The Riverside County Sheriff's Department identified the man who died in a crash on Highway 111 in Palm Springs early Sunday morning as Gabriel Casiano Martinez. Martinez was a 56-year-old Gardena resident.

Martinez died after the vehicle he was riding in was hit from behind by a suspected drunk driver, Palm Springs Police said on Sunday.

Officers responded to the crash, which occurred on the highway north of Gateway Drive, at just before 1:30 a.m. Sunday. Police said the vehicle that hit the one Martinez was inside of was driving at "a very high rate of speed."

The vehicle that was hit sustained major damage to its rear section and Martinez was later pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the vehicle Martinez was riding in, a 55-year-old woman, was transported to a hospital with minor injuries.

Police identified the driver of the other vehicle as 34-year-old Whitewater man Austin George Jackson. They had previously misidentified the suspect but gave his correct name on Wednesday.

"There was confusion with his initial name after the arrest when information was shared internally," Palm Springs Police Lt. Gustavo Araiza said of the initial misidentification. "The confusion is compounded when subjects have names that can be either first or last names, too."

George also was brought to a hospital with minor injuries. Police said they believe George was driving under the influence and they expected to transport him to jail once he was medically released. However, he had not yet been charged as of Wednesday morning.

George was previously arrested for a DUI out of state, they said.

Corrections: A previous version of this story misstated the time of the crash and misidentified the suspect.

Paul Albani-Burgio covers breaking news and the City of Palm Springs. Follow him on Twitter at @albaniburgiop and via email at paul.albani-burgio@desertsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: 56-year-old victim in Sunday Palm Springs crash identified