The bachelor party of an off-duty California Highway Patrol officer and his brother-in-law ended in tragedy when they attempted to stop a man from stealing their truck at a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip and were killed when the truck crashed on Sunday, according to NBC News.
CHP Officer Jesus Manuel Magdaleno Jr., 33, and Felix Brandon Cruz III, 31, were loading their luggage into the truck with the driver side door open and the engine running when James Robert Montgomery, 29, jumped in and tried to drive off. The two men jumped in to the bed of the pickup as it sped off, according to the Associated Press.
Montgomery drove the truck wildly through the strip, running over construction cones and running red lights, with the two men in the back trying to get him to pull over and stop. Eventually the pickup struck an SUV and ultimately hit a traffic signal pole near the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino, throwing the two men from the bed of the pickup, according to the Associated Press.
Magdaleno was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident and Cruz was taken to University Medical Center in Las Vegas where he died from his injuries on Monday night. The occupants of the SUV were treated for minor injuries at the scene but did not require a trip to the hospital, according to USA Today.
"A vehicle is being stolen. His friend is in the bed of the vehicle," Las Vegas Police Lt. Ray Steiber said about Magdaleno when speaking with NBC News. "He runs to the aid of his friend who is in danger. He gave his life for someone else."
Madaleno was engaged to get married this September and had been in Las Vegas to celebrate his bachelor party.
"Obviously it's very difficult for us to have to deal with something like this," Officer Scott Harris, one of Magdaleno's co-workers, told ABC News. "Once everyone found out we all came her to the office. He was very easy to work with, very easy going personality, very well-mannered. He was a former Marine so he's very squared away is how we would refer to him as."
Once Cruz was taken to the hospital he failed to show any brain activity and was not expected to survive, according to ABC News.
"We're just praying, praying, in shock," Rudy Rubalcaba, a cousin of Cruz, told ABC News. "(We) can't believe it happened to such a great guy. Brandon was a loving and caring person. He puts his family first. His wife and his kids were his life. Everything he did, he did for them. His parents were really proud of him."
Montgomery, who also was injured in the crash, was arrested and hospitalized. He has been charged with felony murder, kidnapping, auto theft, battery and robbery, according to the Associated Press.
