Family of pedestrian killed by car in Huntington Beach believes there's more to the story
Huntington Beach Police said a 25-year-old West Point graduate, who was home to see family, was critically injured on Beach Boulevard last week as he walked in traffic lanes in the early morning hours. His family said that story doesn't make sense.
"They just said he was in a car accident. So, we get there, I assume maybe he has some scrapes and bruises, maybe broken bones," said Tammy Broadus.
However, her brother Stephen Broadus was much worse off than that. Surgeons at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center did brain surgery on the 25-year-old on Easter to try and save his life, but he died over the weekend.
"He fought for his life in the hospital for a week. He held on for a week and went with Jesus," Kathleen Youngsma, Broadus's mother said.
According to police, Broadus was struck by a car on Beach Boulevard at around 4 a.m. as he walked in traffic lanes, but for people who know the retired Army Ranger, who they describe as bright and driven and who had just accepted a job at Amazon, the story doesn't add up.
"We believe he could have been running from something or if there was an altercation. So, we're just trying to use the phone calls and evidence we have," said Christian Laurent, a friend of Broadus's.
A friend talked to Broadus as he left the popular bar Bungalow and, according to his sister, there were problems.
"It's at 3:15 when he texts his friend another time and tells him he's been jumped twice and has a concussion. We don't know if they still continued going after him after they jumped him a second time. All we know is another hour passes and he gets hit by a car," his sister, Tammy, said.
She also wondered whether her brother's injuries prevented him from safely getting home.
"At this time, the police department doesn't have any calls for service or any sort of reports relating to an altercation taking place in the evening or earlier that morning. However, as part of this ongoing investigation, we are looking into that,' Huntington Beach Public Affairs Manager Jennifer Carey said.
