A Saturday night Castro Valley car crash and subsequent brawl is being investigated as road rage, and the 49-year-old man killed in the incident has now been identified as a father of nine taking his kids for ice cream.
There were media reports over the weekend of an alleged road rage crash in Castro Valley, which begat an apparent brawl between two drivers, and one man died of injuries sustained in the brawl. We did not know much information at the time, notably the identities of the two drivers, though it was reported that the crash and fight took place on streets just outside the Castro Valley BART station. The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement to KRON4 that “Preliminary findings indicate that a physical altercation occurred between both subjects stemming from what is believed to be a road rage incident.”
Now four days later, we know a whole lot more. Updated reporting from KRON4 says that the man killed was a father of nine children, 49-year-old Jason Elola. And KTVU even spoke with his family in the video seen above, and they give their version of events as to what happened.
Elola and his family were driving in their Subaru, celebrating a son’s birthday in San Francisco, and decided to stop for ice cream. They say they were cut off by a full-size SUV at 7:40 pm near Wilbeam and Norbridge avenues in Castro Valley. The family claims the driver of the SUV then rammed them a couple times, so Jason Elola got out of the car for a word with the other driver. A fight broke out between the two, and California Highway Patrol officers found Elola injured and on the ground when they arrived. He died later Saturday night at the hospital.
"My dad, the protector he is, wanted to make sure his wife, five-month-old baby, and 5-year-old daughter were OK," Elola’s eldest son Angel Elola eldest son told KTVU. "He got out and wanted to see what the issue was."
The other driver, 37-year-old Martin Davis Jr, left the scene of the incident, but later returned when Highway Patrol officers told him he had to. Davis has been booked on suspicion of murder and he remains in custody at Santa Rita Jail.
"When my husband went to get around him at the stoplight, he kept hitting the back of our car,” wife Gabrielle Elola told KTVU. “We were scared. My husband got out to protect us.”
Authorities have not confirmed this version of events. Though we do know that one of the individuals is dead, and the other is in custody on murder charges.
Elola’s family has established a GoFundMe for his funeral expenses. “Gabrielle and the children are facing the difficult reality of moving forward without him,” the GoFundMe says. “The sudden loss has left them with the overwhelming burden of funeral expenses and the challenge of covering daily living costs in the months ahead. Jason was everything to everyone, and his absence is deeply felt by all who knew him.”
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office at (510) 667-7721. You can also submit an anonymous tip online.
Related: Road Rage Incident Leads to Fatal Shooting in Upscale Orinda [SFist]
Image via GoFundMe
