A Marine died from injuries he sustained from being hit by a car in the early hours of Jan. 26, the Marine Corps confirmed.
Sgt. Juan Muniz III, 22, from Kingsville Texas, was walking next to the Coast Highway in Oceanside, California, when he was hit by the car, according to a Marine Corps mishap report.
The 31-year-old driver immediately pulled over and waited for first responders to arrive, The San Diego Union-Tribune first reported Jan. 29.
The driver was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving, Oceanside police told the San Diego newspaper. The Oceanside police department has not yet responded to Marine Corps Times’ request for comment and updates on the case.
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The Marine eventually was transported to a hospital in La Jolla, California, where he was pronounced dead around 2 a.m. Sunday, a Marine Corps statement said.
Muniz joined the Marine Corps in 2015 and was assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 11, 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, at Camp Pendleton, California, Capt. Jim Stenger a Marine Corps spokesman said in the statement.
“The entire Combat Logistics Battalion 11 was devastated to hear the news of Sgt. Muniz’s death and our thoughts are with his family and friends after this terrible tragedy,” Lt. Col. Gary Thompson, CLB-11 commanding officer, said in the statement.
“He was a talented, bright, young Marine and he will be missed.”
Muniz had just returned to California from a seven-month deployment to the Pacific, the statement said.
His awards included the National Defense Service Medal and the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal.
