On May 30th, 2013, a group of gang members lead police on a high speed pursuit through the city of Santa Ana, CA. In the pursuit, the driver of the vehicle, Victor Sanchez, hit pedestrian Andrew Scott Reisse, a co-founder of the Oculus Rift.
Prior to the high speed chase, Sanchez was part of a group of four gang members who were involved in a confrontation with the police that day. One of the men who was in the same group as Sanchez, Geraldo Diego Ayala, was shot before the pursuit, taken to the hospital in critical condition, and later died.
Sanchez and the other two jumped into their Dodge Charger to escape the police, leading them on a 20-minute car chase through Santa Ana. The suspects hit another vehicle in their chase at the intersections of Warner Avenue and Parton Street.
At the intersection of MacArthur Boulevard and Flower Street, Reisse was tragically struck by Sanchez. One witness said that Reisse was hit hard enough his body flew “almost 20 feet onto the sidewalk.”
Sanchez surrendered peacefully and is currently being held by police on suspicion of murder. One of his fellow gang members was shot with a Taser by police and the other was bit by a police dog before both were arrested.
Sanchez is currently being guarded while he is in a hospitalized condition. OC Weekly does not give a reason why, but it is likely he sustained injuries when he hit another vehicle earlier on in the pursuit.
This tragedy hits home for me not only as a gamer who looks forward to the release of the Oculus Rift, but as a resident of Orange County.
My condolences go out to Reisse’s family, friends, and co-workers. To help create something as groundbreaking as the Oculus Rift takes an amount of genius that very few have. The gaming industry has lost a great mind this week.
