UPDATE: Former co-worker charged with murder in death of Mt. SAC tram driver
A 63-year-old employee at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut died after a driver hit the pedestrian on campus Thursday morning, Dec. 1.
The preliminary investigation showed it was an intentional act, sheriff’s Lt. Patricia Thomas said.
The driver, who had not been arrested, was injured and admitted to a local hospital, she said. Thomas didn’t know the extent of his injuries.
The Sheriff’s Department received a call around 7:30 a.m. and deputies found the injured man unresponsive. He died at the scene.
The coroner’s office had not yet publicly identified him but college officials did.
“It is with deep sorrow that I share with the Mt. San Antonio College community that we have lost one of our campus’s shining lights: Ralph Barragan,” Mt. SAC president William T. Scroggins said in a statement.
Barragan was struck by a car outside Building 9A, he said.
“This is as tragic a situation as we can imagine on our campus. Our hearts and sincere condolences go out to Ralph’s family and countless friends,” Scroggins said.
“This a heartbreaking time for the entire campus community. A death on our campus and among our Mt. SAC family affects us all deeply,” he said.
Before Mt. SAC, Scroggins said, Barragan worked for 23 years as a bus driver for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. In 2007, he began working as a tram driver for ACCESS (a disabled students program), he added.
“He was responsible for transporting students with disabilities to all parts of the college. Ralph was highly visible on campus, gracious, popular and respected,” Scroggins said.
Audrey Yamagata-Noji, vice president of Student Services, hired Barragan.
“Everyone knew Ralph. He was always smiling, greeting staff and students by their names, and befriending everyone he met. We are shocked and saddened by his passing. He will be missed, but never forgotten,” Yamagata-Noji said.
The ACCESS Office was closed Thursday and will remain closed Friday. ACCESS phone lines are still being answered and alternate drivers are providing students continued support, Scroggins said.
He said counseling and support services are available:
- The Student Health Center offers short-term mental health counseling to current students. Students can call 909 274-4400 and press option 2 or go to one of the clinics in Building 67B or 9E for assistance.
- The Employee Counseling Center provides short-term counseling to Mt. SAC employees. Call 909- 274-6211 or email employeecounselingcenter@mtsac.edu.
- Student Health also put together information about grief and loss as well as tips for coping with trauma as a resource for the campus.
Detectives asked that anyone with information about the collision call the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tipsters can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or at lacrimestoppers.org.
