Fillmore resident Zachary Freeman, 24, was killed in an off-road race accident in the Mojave Desert, August 14th.

Freeman was standing in the crowd of spectators with his friend Dustin Malson, 24 of Ventura, and girlfriend Nicky Carmikle, 19. Carmikle had just walked away to use the restroom when a Ford Ranger pickup driven by Brett Sloppy, 28 San Marcos, struck a rock, lost control and rolled into the crowd, killing eight and injuring a dozen. Malson was also killed.

Tens of thousands of people were spread out along the 50-mile track, within 4-feet of the speeding vehicles.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued a statement saying state vehicle codes don't apply because the race was a sanctioned event held with the approval of the federal Bureau of Land Management, which owns the land used for the race. They said safety was the responsibility of the race organizer, South El Monte-based Mojave Desert Racing.

MDR's permit required racers to travel 15 mph or less when they were within 50 feet of fans, and allowed no more than 300 spectators for the event. BLM spokesman David Briery said the agency would cooperate with the CHP's investigation.